Connect with us

Sports

Aribo, Bassey, Balogun: Three Nigerian stars on the verge of Europa League history as Rangers battle Frankfurt

Published

on

The trio of Nigerian soccer stars, Joe Aribo, Calvin Bassey and Leon Balogun, all of Rangers of Scotland, are on the verge of history when the ‘Gers battle German Bundesliga side, Eintracht Frankfurt, in the Europa League final at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium in Seville, Spain, on Wednesday night.

The Nigerian internationals are just 90 minutes, or maybe 120 minutes, away from history on the European continent as they will become the first three players from the same country to lift Europe’s second continental trophy.

The value of the Nigerian stars to Rangers cannot be downplayed as they have proven time and time again to be indispensables for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side.

Aribo may be about the most important player of the trio as his involvement in open play demonstrates the 25-year-old’s effect on van Bronckhorst’s men who need him to deliver a strong performance in Wednesday’s decider.

Calvin Bassey may not have scored as many as Leon Balogun’s two goals in their Europa League campaign, yet the versatile left sided defender has arguably played a more significant role in their run to the final.

The 22-year-old has started all but two of Rangers’ games, fulfilling dual roles and becoming a reliable head at the heart of the defence.

Only captain and fellow defender James Tavernier has outdone Bassey’s 30 interceptions, although that comes with the caveat that the Englishman has played more than the Nigeria international who edges every teammate for tackles plus interceptions in their run to the final.

On and off the ball, Bassey is blessed with an underrated passing range which he showcased in their quarter-final turnaround against Sporting Braga where his sensational pin-point pass from deep inside his half found Kemar Roofe on the edge of the area, forcing Vítor Tormena to bring down the frontman inside the area.

Balogun may not be a regular starter in the team but the versatile defender always gives the team a calmness in the heart of defence whenever he is called upon. And he always delivers and steals forward once in a while to nick in the odd goal here and there.

The Nigerian trio has contributed to six of Rangers 22 goals in the run up to the final, which is 27 percent of the Scottish outfit’s strikes in the competition.

For all their rich history, only a European Cup Winners Cup success in 1972 accounts for Rangers’ sole continental triumph in their 150-year history but victory against Frankfurt will banish the hurt of losing the Premiership title to Celtic and see them match their fierce rivals for European titles won.

 

And most importantly, victory will place the three Nigerian soccer stars in the history books of the Scottish giants.

Sports

Faith Kipyegon considering moving to different discipline after 1,500m dominance

Published

on

Kenya’s multiple world and Olympics champion, Faith Kipyegon, says she is considering as switch to other distances next year after dominating the 1,500m for many years with no serious challengers.

The Kenyan Golden Girl who already has three Olympics titles, a world record, and as many world titles, which makes her the greatest female athlete in history over the distance, added a fifth Diamond League title to her trophy cabinet last weekend, and says a switch to other races to test herself is not off the table in 2025.

“I hope to stay strong and healthy towards next year and see what I am capable of doing. I don’t know if I will still do 1,500m or move to 5,000m but I hope for the best next year,” Kipyegon told Athletics Weekly after grabbing the Diamond League title.

Kipyegon stated that she has been motivated by other athletes who have contested different disciplines, such as Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen who made his half marathon debut last weekend, and Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan, who has won titles in marathon, half marathon, 1,500m and 10,000m.

“I have seen Jakob is running in Copenhagen, I hope he gives me the motivation and I can also do half marathon.

“Also, Sifan Hassan doing half, marathon and coming to 1,500m, 5,000m, so I think it is only to twist how you think and say I am going to do this and hopefully we will do it,” she added.

Kipyegon has already proven that she has what it takes to compete in the 5,000m after winning a world title in Budapest last year, this coming after she had broken a world record, while she also claimed Olympics silver in Paris over the distance.

She had also previously expressed her interest in running a marathon in future and 2025 could be the year she starts the transition if she makes the decision.

Continue Reading

Sports

Kenya’s female athletes maintain Diamond League dominance

Published

on

Kenya’s female athletes have continued to prove their dominance at the Diamond League final in Brussels, Belgium, as they have scooped most of the titles to maintain their good record at major championships.

Out of the nine track events this far competed for in Brussels, Kenyan women athletes have picked four of them with some stunning performances recorded along the way.

Three of the four titles were won on the second day of the competition after world champion Mary Moraa had regained her 800m crown in superb fashion on Friday.

The Commonwealth champion ran a very tactical race to win the 800m Diamond Trophy in a season’s best 1:56.56, having saved the best for last, as she stormed to victory in the final 200m.

Moraa last won the trophy in 2022 before she was defeated by American Athing Mu last year but she made amends with her victory ahead of Britain’s Georgia Bell who clocked 1:57.50 and Jamaica’s Natoya Goule-Toppin, who completed the podium in 1:58.94.

On Saturday, 20-year-old Faith Cherotich stunned Olympics and world champion Winfred Yavi to claim the 3,000m steeplechase title.

With Yavi and former Olympics champion Peruth Chemutai of Uganda in the race, few gave Cherotich a chance at victory but she proved everyone wrong.

The world and Olympics bronze medallist timed her jumps at the water barriers to perfection while keeping Yavi in check, and at the final hurdle, she had already managed a good gap which she held on to win her first-ever Diamond League title.

Faith Kipyegon was the next to prove her mettle in the 1,500m and the three-time Olympics champion smashed the meeting record to clock 3:54.75 for her fifth Diamond League title.

Double Olympics champion Beatrice Chebet put the icing on the cake for the Kenyan women when she commanded the 5,000m race from start to finish.

Chebet left her rivals by a big gap as she lowered Almas Ayana’s meeting record by setting a new mark of 14:09.82 for her second Diamond League title.

Chebet had also won her first trophy in 2022 before missing out last year, but made amends in emphatic style. To show how dominant she was, second-placed Medina Eisa of Ethiopia came home in 14:21.89 to add to her world record in 10,000m, World Cross-Country title, two Olympics gold medals and now the Diamond League title in 2024.

Continue Reading

EDITOR’S PICK

Tech3 mins ago

Egypt’s climate action accelerator Athar graduates 5th cohort of green entrepreneurs

Egypt-based climate action accelerator, Athar, has marked the graduation of the fifth cohort of its ‘Climate Action Accelerator Programme’ for...

Politics12 mins ago

Again, warring parties in Sudan open to peaceful solutions

In response to US President Joe Biden’s demand for the warring sides to resume talks, Sudan’s army and the paramilitary...

Culture5 hours ago

SA court sentences 21-year-old man to life imprisonment for raping, murdering six Zimbabwean sex workers

A South Gauteng High Court sitting in Palm Ridge, South Africa has sentenced a 21-year-old man, Sifiso Naseeb Mkhwanazi, to...

Metro6 hours ago

Nigerian govt to jail private employers paying below N70,000 minimum wage

The Nigerian government has vowed to prosecute and possibly jail private employers who pay their workers below the N70,000 minimum...

Metro23 hours ago

Combating misinformation, media deception

The proliferation of misinformation, disinformation and fake news has become a pressing global concern and Zambia, like many other African...

Sports23 hours ago

Faith Kipyegon considering moving to different discipline after 1,500m dominance

Kenya’s multiple world and Olympics champion, Faith Kipyegon, says she is considering as switch to other distances next year after...

Tech23 hours ago

Zambian neobank fintech Lupiya set to launch new debit card

Zambian neobank fintech, Lupiya, has entered into a partnership with leading enabler of digital commerce across Africa and the Middle...

Culture23 hours ago

Janet Jackson pulls out of ‘DStv Delicious Festival’ after brother’s death

African-American popstar, Janet Jackson, has announced pulling out of the much-anticipated “DStv Delicious Festival” which will hold on Saturday, September...

VenturesNow1 day ago

Nigeria’s central bank issues fresh guidelines for ‘Ways and Means’ to govt

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has issued new guidelines on Ways and Means which limit Ways and Means Advances...

Politics1 day ago

Ghanian opposition protests, demands audit of voters register

Ghana’s major opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) party protested statewide on Tuesday, seeking an independent forensic audit to clean up...

Trending