Sports

UEFA CL: Nigeria’s Chukwueze shines as underdog Villarreal go past Bayern but Mendy, Ziyech couldn’t fly with Chelsea

Published

2 years ago

April 13, 2022

It was a night of mixed fortune for African players as the return leg of Quarter Final matches of the UEFA Champions League took center stage on Tuesday night.

On the heroic side was Nigeria’s Samuel Chimerenka Chukwueze of Villarreal scored a late goal in the clash against Bayern Munich of Germany to take the Yellow Submarine into the next round of the competition. The first leg of the tie ended in a 1-0 victory for the Spanish side and Munich was in a better place after taking the lead in the return leg but substitute Chukwueze had other ideas.

Villarreal’s victory is by all standards an upset given the pedigree of Bayern Munich in the elite club completion. The German side had won the competition seven-time while Villarreal’s best run in the competition was a semi-final stop in the 2005/2006 season when they lost out to Arsenal on a 1–0 aggregate scoreline following Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann’s save of Riquelme’s last-minute penalty.

With Bayern’s pedigree and quality, it is not surprising that it took an African “hammer” to put final nail on the German side’s coffin.

Since the Yellow Submarine was founded, several players from Africa have represented the outfit, with names like Ikechukwu Uche (Nigeria), Karl Toko Ekambi (Cameroon), and Cedric Bakambu (DR Congo) coming to mind.

Others Africans who currently ply their football trade with Villarreal are Boulaye Dia (Senegal), Arnaut Danjuma (Nigeria), Serge Aurier (Cote d’Ivoire), Aissa Mandi (Algeria), and of course Nigeria’s Samuel Chukwueze

Real Madrid Vs Chelsea

In the other quarter-final tie of the UEFA Champions League on the night. The most successful side in the history of the competition, Real Madrid of Spain hosted Chelsea FC of England who are the current champions of the competition.

There were no African goal scorers in the tie which ended 3-2 in favour of Chelsea, Real Madrid progressed into the next round of the competition with a better goal difference because the first league ended 3-1 in favour of the Spanish side.

The two sides however both have a rich history of African players who have done their colours. While there are no player player of African nationality in Madrid’s current Champions League squad, there were Africans who gave good accounts of themselves on the night on Chelsea’s side. The Blues goalkeeper, Edward Mendy plays for the African Champion – Senegal, while Hakim Ziyech of Morocco also gave his best for the Londoners on the night.

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Sports

Namibia qualifies for 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup

Published

19 hours ago

November 28, 2023

Akanimoh Etim

Namibia has qualified for the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup which will hold in United States and the West Indies, after a top-two guaranteed finish in the African qualifiers with a game to spare.

The Eagles triumphed over Tanzania 58-run in Windhoek and now sit on top of the table with five wins from five matches after previously defeating Zimbabwe, Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya.

Uganda, Kenya and Zimbabwe still remain in contention to secure second spot in the table and join Namibia at the T20 World Cup next year, with Uganda facing east African rivals, Kenya on Wednesday.

The qualification of Namibia for next year’s 20-team tournament will be the country’s third consecutive appearance at the T20 World Cup, which makes them one of the most successful African teams in the Championship.

The Eagles reached the Super 12 stage as first-time qualifiers in the UAE in 2021 but however suffered a first round group-stage exit in Australia last year.

Speaking on the feat, Rudie van Vuuren, president of Cricket Namibia, said it was a testimony to the dedication of the players and coaching crew.

“We’re very proud of the boys, of Pierre de Bruyn and his coaching team and also Gerhard Erasmus, the captain of the team,” Van Vuuren told BBC Sport Africa.

“The boys played professional cricket throughout, really a high standard of cricket. And you can see the fact that we have a professional set-up eventually makes the difference in this kind of tournament.

“It is exciting times for Namibia. We have a strong pipeline developing. We look forward to the T20 World Cup and then, building on that, the Under-19 World Cup in 2026 and obviously the 50-over World Cup in 2027”, he added.

Namibia will co-host the Cricket World Cup in 2027 alongside South Africa and Zimbabwe, and will finish their group campaign against Nigeria on Thursday.

Sports

Cameroon: Ambazonian separatists issue death threats to ex-Nigerian soccer stars, Okocha, Amokachi

Published

2 days ago

November 27, 2023

Akanimoh Etim

Cameroonian separatist group, Ambazonia has issued death threats to former Nigerian football stars, Austin “Jay-Jay” Okocha and Daniel Amokachi, among other retired Nigerian players, invited by former Cameroon striker and current President of Cameroon Football Association, Samuel Eto’o, for a ceremonial tournament on November 30.

Eto’o had extended the invitation to the Nigerian players as well as other retired players both in Africa and other parts of the world to be part of the game aimed at promoting sporting relationships and football development in Cameroon.

The tournament is scheduled to hold in Victoria City in southwest Cameroon which is a part of the stronghold of the Ambazonia group which has been fighting for the independence of the English speaking region of the central African country.

In the warning issued to the Nigerian greats by one Comrade Chris Anon, who claimed to be head of the Ambazonia Interim Government based in the United States of America, the group warned Okocha, Amokachi and other invitees to stay away from the tournament or they would be killed as it has ordered a total lockdown on Victoria City and entire Fago County on the said date of November 30.

The group which calls itself the
“Restoration Fighters of the Ambazonia Interim Government”, also warned residents to stay indoors, stressing that violation of the order would be met with death.

The death threat message from Anon said:

“The Restoration Fighters of Ambazonia control Victoria and the entire county and are committed to ensuring the lockdown.

“Our determination to safeguard the integrity of the Ambazonia independence struggle will not be deterred. We show no mercy to anyone who attempts to disregard the lockdown.

“It is essential to emphasize the severity of the situation and to caution against actions that could be misconstrued as aligning with any forms of propaganda.

“The football match proposed by Samuel Eto’o is very controversial; it is a misguided and insensitive initiative. That decision to involve international players from Nigeria is deeply troubling.

“The timing and location of the tournament give rise to suspicions. We seriously and strongly caution Jay Jay Okocha, Daniel Amokachi, and others who are promoting and preparing to participate in the tournament to reconsider their involvement as their participation may unintentionally result in bloodshed.

“We cannot help but question Samuel Eto’o’s decision to organize this tournament in Victoria, an Ambazonia territory that has been marred by war for over seven years, for which 30,000 Ambazonians have been killed.

“It raises legitimate concerns about potential exploitation of the situation for purposes that are not in the best interests of Victoria and Ambazonia in general.”