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Leon Balogun, Joe Aribo, Kelechi Iheanacho, Ademola Lookman, in fine outing at Europa and Conference League

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It was joy for Super Eagles trio of Leon Balogun, Joe Aribo and Calvin Bassey, as their Scottish team, Rangers, edged out Portuguese side, Braga, 3-1 (3-2 on aggregate) to progress to the semifinals of the 2021/2022 Europa League.

Midfielder Aribo was particularly in fine form as he produced an assist in the nervy second leg win on Thursday night.

It was the Nigerian international’s sublime pass to team captain James Tavernier for Rangers opening goal in the second minute before he was substituted in the 106th minute for Zambian striker, Fashion Sakala.

The duo of centre back Leon Balogun and left back Calvin Bassey were also in action, producing a solid defensive shift to prevent Braga from causing any more damage than the one goal they got.

While Balogun came on for Borna Barisic and gave a good account of himself, Bassey played the full 120 minutes and showed why coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst sees him as one of Rangers’ most important players.

This will be Rangers’ first continental semi-final in 14 years, and a huge boost to Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men ahead of Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-final with Premiership leaders Celtic at Hampden.

Kelechi Iheanacho

Kelechi Iheanacho

In the UEFA Conference League, the duo of Kelechi Iheanacho and Ademola Lookman helped Leicester City come from a goal down to defeat PSV of Netherlands 2-1 and qualify for the semi-finals of the newest UEFA competition.

With the feat, Leicester have now qualified for their first ever European football semi-final.

Iheanacho was in the starting eleven before being substituted on 65 minutes while Lookman came on for Harvey Barnes at the start of the second half and had a hand in Leicester’s winner.

Ademola Lookman

Ademola Lookman

Leicester’s reward for taking out PSV is a meeting with the winner of the tie between Bodo/Glimt and Serie A giants, AS Roma, in the semi-finals.

Samuel Chukwueze celebrating his goal against Bayern Munich

Samuel Chukwueze celebrating his goal against Bayern Munich

On Tuesday night, Nigeria’s Samuel Chukwueze was the hero as he scored the decisive goal for his Spanish side Villarreal, which knocked out Bayern Munich of Germany to take the Yellow Submarine into the semi finals of the UEFA Champions League.

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Nigeria’s 4x400m mixed relay, 4×400 teams qualify for Olympics

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Team Nigeria on Sunday morning booked two places at the upcoming Paris Olympics Games in the Mixed 4x400m relay and 4X400m men’s events with automatic qualification spots at the ongoing World Relays in the Bahamas.

The mixed 4x400m relay team which had the quartet of Samuel Ogazi, Ella Onojuvwevwo, Chidi Okezie, and Esther Elo Joseph, picked the slot after finishing second behind the USA in their heat with a time of 3:13.79, to ensured Nigeria’s presence on the Olympic stage.

Both Nigeria and the US were a distance ahead of other in the heat and it was obvious as at the third leg that the race was between the two countries.

According to reports on the race, Okezie ran an impressive third leg in 44.78 to handover his baton first, but a US Olympics gold-medalist, Kendall Ellis, was too much for Esther Elo Joseph in the anchor leg as she led the United States to the finish line first.

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Kenyan footballer arrested over brutal robbery, murder case

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A Kenyan footballer, Byron Billy Owuor, has been arrested in connection with a violent robbery that led to the murder of a businesswoman in the Kondele area of Kisumu County of the country.

Owuor, a former Kisumu All-Stars player, was arrested after an AK47 rifle linked to violent robbery and murder was recovered and linked to him.

According to media reports, the 26-year-old midfielder was arrested along with another suspect for their alleged roles in a crime that has shocked the local community.

Police authorities confirmed that they seized the AK47 and 36 rounds of live ammunition linked to the robbery which took place on January 27th.

In a statement by the country’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the weapon was used to fatally shoot the business woman, Grace Awino Adero, who operated an M-Pesa shop with her husband.

“The assailants attacked the couple, making off with the day’s earnings and killing Mrs. Adero, while her husband narrowly survived the encounter,” the DCI said.

“The cold-blooded killers, believed to be part of a larger gang, fled the scene on an unmarked motorcycle, retreating to a hideout in Kasagam.

“Hours later, a suspicious saloon car was located by the Kasagam police during a routine patrol. Upon searching the vehicle, officers discovered a homemade pistol and four mobile phones, alongside an AK47 rifle without its magazine.

“The investigation revealed that the rifle had been obtained illegally from Uganda,” the DCI noted.

A media report stated that the case took a significant turn when detectives identified Robert Wakolo Okoth, also known as Michael Osama, as the alleged mastermind behind the syndicate’s criminal activities.

“Following this lead, a coordinated sting operation was conducted at Osama’s residence near Rai Primary School in Kasagam. During the raid, Osama’s 17-year-old brother, also believed to be a gang member, was arrested.

“The items recovered from the house include an AK47 magazine loaded with ammunition, six rounds of .38 special ammunition typically used in pistols, and five ID cards from different individuals.

“A green camouflage bag and a Kenya Armed Forces Comrades Association card were also found, pointing to the serious nature of the gang’s operations.

“With the arraignment at the Winam Senior Principal Magistrate’s Court, detectives have been granted an additional 14 days to wrap up their investigation.

“The focus now turns to capturing the remaining gang members whose identities have been uncovered but remain at large,” the statement said.

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