Sports

By Sylvia Kodilichukwu, Enugu Displaying appreciation and admiration, Chairman of Nkanu East Local Government Area (LGA) of Enugu State, Hon. Okechukwu Edeh, hosted the Nkanu East football team to a reception in his office in Enugu on Friday. This was even as the players and the club management commended the Chairman for the support the Council had given to them throughout the soccer season. The gesture came on the heels of the team's remarkable performance at the recently concluded Rauf Badamosi Football (RBF) Championship held at Ibagwa-Aka in Igboeze-South Council Area where the team emerged third, winning the princely sum…

By Sylvia Kodilichukwu, Enugu Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, Wednesday evening, April 16, paid a condolence visit to the widow and family of former Nigerian international and former Super Eagles coach, Christian Chukwu, in Enugu, assuring them that they were not standing alone in their time of sorrow. Mbah, who was out of the country attending the Commonwealth Trade and Investment Summit in London at the time of Chukwu's death, also assured that the deceased would be immortalised. The soccer legend died on Saturday, April 12, 2025, at 74 following health struggles. Mbah described the late footballer, popularly known…

Real Madrid 1-2 Arsenal (1-5 agg): It more than lived up to pre-match hype. Arsenal on Wednesday, April 16, completed a 5-1 aggregate win over holders Real Madrid to end their 16-year wait for a Champions League semi-final appearance, Bukayo Saka recovering from having an early penalty saved to put the visitors on their way to a confident victory. While Arsenal named an unchanged side from their 3-0 first-leg win in London, Madrid restored Aurélien Tchouaméni after a ban - replacing the suspended Eduardo Camavinga - and brought in Lucas Vázquez for Luka Modrić, allowing Federico Valverde to advance to…

It is remontada (a comeback) or bust for reigning Champions League champions Real Madrid tonight, April 16, where Carlo Ancelotti's men must pull off the most sensational comeback against Arsenal in the second leg of their quarter-final to keep their dream of a sweet 16 alive. Kick off time is 8pm Nigeria time. The 15-time European Cup holders were slaughtered 3-0 at the Emirates in last week's first leg, but Los Blancos now have the famed Bernabeu factor on their side. As Real's shiny new toy Kylian Mbappe waits patiently for his first-ever goal from a direct free kick, Arsenal's…

Barcelona held on against a Serhou Guirassy-inspired Borussia Dortmund to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League, despite losing 3-1 at the Westfalenstadion this evening, April 15. It also ended Barcelona's 2025 unbeaten run of 24 games. Hansi Flick's side led 4-0 from the first leg last week, but were quickly under pressure when Guirassy converted an early penalty, before Pascal Gross had a goal disallowed for offside. Guirassy then pulled another goal back early in the second half, but Dortmund's dreams were dashed soon after when Ramy Bensebaini put through his own net from Fermin Lopez's dangerous delivery. There…

English Premier League: Chelsea - Ipswich 2:2Liverpool - West Ham 2:1Wolves - Tottenham 4:2Newcastle - Manchester Utd 4:1 French Ligue 1: St Etienne - Brest 3:3Angers - Montpellier 2:0Le Havre - Rennes 1:5Auxerre - Lyon 1:3 German Bundesliga: Stuttgart - Werder Bremen 1:2Eintracht Frankfurt - Heidenheim 3:0 Italian Serie A: Atalanta - Bologna 2:0Fiorentina - Parma 0:0Verona - Genoa 0:0Como - Torino 1:0Lazio - AS Roma 1:1 Netherlands Eredivisie: Utrecht - Groningen 3:1Heracles - AZ Alkmaar 1:0Zwolle - Twente 1:1Willem II - Ajax 1:2 Spanish La Liga: Osasuna - Girona 2:1Alaves - Real Madrid 0:1Betis - Villarreal 1:2Ath Bilbao -…

English Premier League Results 12/04/25: Manchester City - Crystal Palace 5:2Brighton - Leicester 2:2Nottingham - Everton 0:1Southampton - Aston Villa 0:3Arsenal - Brentford 1:1 Spanish La Liga 12/04/25: Real Sociedad - Mallorca 0:2Getafe - Las Palmas 1:3Celta Vigo - Espanyol 0:2Leganes - Barcelona 0:1 German Bundesliga 12/04/25: Bayer Leverkusen - Union Berlin 0:0B. Monchengladbach - Freiburg 1:2Bochum - Augsburg 1:2Hoffenheim - Mainz 2:0Holstein Kiel - St. Pauli 1:2Bayern Munich - Dortmund 2:2 Italian Serie A 12/04/25: Venezia - Monza 1:0Inter - Cagliari 3:1Juventus - Lecce 2:1 French Ligue 1 12/04/25: Monaco - Marseille 3:0Toulouse - Lille 1:2Strasbourg - Nice 2:2…

By Okerafor Athanasius, Jalingo A team of sports men and women has presented the Torch of Unity for the 22nd National Sports Festival, to Taraba State governor, Dr Agbu Kefas. The sports fiesta is tagged Gateway Games, Ogun 2024. Receiving the torch during a ceremony at the T.Y. Danjuma Government House, Jalingo, the state capital, Gov. Kefas commended the visitors and pledged that Taraba would participate in the festival. Speaking with journalists shortly after, the NSC team lead, Ikana Mbora, said they were in the state to convey a message from President Bola Tinubu to create awareness and invite every…

By Stephen Gbadamosi, Ibadan Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC), Ibadan, are to pay a fine of N3 million and another N2 million to Ikorodu City FC for damages to the latter's bus, following security breaches that resulted in attack on Ikorodu City contingent in their last game. Fans have also been indefinitely restricted from gaining access to Shooting Stars' home games. The incident occurred at the end of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Match Day 32 at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan, Oyo State, South-West Nigeria, leading to a disciplinary panel sitting on Wednesday, April 9. Shooting Stars was…

Jude Bellingham insisted Arsenal were '‘really good’' after they dominated Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, April 8, but has reminded the Gunners '‘anything can happen at the Bernabeu’', ahead of the return leg next week. Arsenal thumped Madrid 3-0 in a one-sided quarter-final first leg at the Emirates Stadium thanks to two stunning Declan Rice free-kicks and a goal from Mikel Merino. The result puts Arsenal in an incredibly commanding position ahead of the second leg in the Spanish capital. England star Bellingham admitted Real Madrid were ‘'nowhere near it’' on Tuesday night and said it would…