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Showing posts from March, 2018

Ahly Crowned African volleyball Champions

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Cairo, Egypt, March 15, 2018- Ahly has ultimately reach the landmark in African volleyball. Ahly marked their name in history books with their ninth title of the women’s club championship following their exuberant 3-0 (25-9, 29-27, 25-8) hammering over Carthage on Thursday at Ahly Hall in Cairo, Egypt. The first set started strong and a consistently good of number points led Ahly ahead of Carthage with a 16-5 lead in the second technical time out. Ahly kept up the lead, celebrating a startling win of 25-9. A few deceitful serves in the second set put Ahly one step ahead of CFC, the reigning champions CFC, struggled to claw back throughout the set. The tension rose with each point. As Ahly continued to pick up their form and they killed the set 29-27 with two ace from them. In the third set all the pieces seemed to fit together for Ahly. The 2016 winners kept regrouping the balance on court so as to avoid having huge holes, leading 16-5 in the second technical time out. ...

BAYELSA STATE TEAMS EMERGES WINNERS OF 20TH NESTLE MILO CHAMPIONSHIP

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Emotions ran high yesterday as Belary Schools, Yanagoa of Bayelsa State clinched the top prize in the male category of the Zonal Qualification slot in the ongoing 20 th  Nestle Milo Basketball Competition for secondary schools at the Indoor Sports Hall of the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City. The Bayelsa State representative who had earlier trailed their opponent, St. Augustine’s Seminary, Ezzamgbo of Ebonyi State from the first to third quarter, eventually won the game with a final scoring points of 45 against 43 points. The very interesting encounter which saw both teams displayed wide range of techniques saw Bayelsa State contingent replying an 11 point deficit to clinch the all important slot to get a cash prize of one hundred thousand naira as the Ebonyi state team emerged second and received seventy thousand naira respectively. In the female category, St. Jude’s Girls secondary School, Amarata also from Bayelsa state emerged winner after dispatching Idia Coll...

Aigbogun keen to build strong Flying Eagles team

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Newly appointed Flying Eagles coach Paul Aigbogun says he is determined to build team that will conquer Africa and the rest of the world. Nigeria have dominated Africa at the U-20 level with seven titles but are yet to claim a title at the world level. The Flying Eagles came close to lifting the crown twice in 1989 and 2005 where they fell to Portugal and Argentina. But Aigbogun is keen to go a step further by building that will not only win the African title but conquer the world

Ahead 2018 FIFA World Cup: Nigeria, Iceland venue ready for use

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The Volgograd Arena in Volgograd which will host the 2018 World Cup Group D fixture between Nigeria and Iceland on  June 22  is now ready, according to the website of FSUE Sport-Engineering, which is the developer and designer of the arena. The stadium which was built on site of the demolished Central Stadium, at the foot of the Mamayev Kurgan memorial complex, near the Volga Rivera has a capacity of 45,568 spectators. Before Nigeria's meeting with Iceland at Volgograd Arena, Tunisia will take on England on  June 18  at the venue. The two other matches that will be played at the stadium are; Saudi Arabia vs Egypt ( June 25 ) and Japan vs Poland ( June 28 ). The Super Eagles World Cup opener against Croatia on  June 16  will take place at Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad, while they will face Argentina at Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg on  June 2

Rohr not sure on Enyeama availability for Russia 2018

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Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr  admitted it will be difficult for Vincent Enyeama to make a return to the squad ahead of  the 2018 FIFA World Cup following his inactivity at the club level. Enyeama who is Nigeria's most capped  player quit international football in 2015 following a bitter row with former handler of the side  Sunday  Oliseh. He  has been lined up for a return to the team due to the unavailability of current first choice Carl Ikeme over health issues. He is however yet to feature for French club Lille this season which has prompted Rohr to reconsider his decision "For Vincent Enyeama it is difficult at the moment because he has not play for his club this season," stated Rohr while responding to questions on the veteran goalkeeper availability for the World Cup. "It's the same with Dele Alampasu who has also not been active at club level. It will be difficult for the two of them to make the squad for the World Cup. " But we h...

Pinnick Achievements surpasses other NFF Presidents - Kpakor

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Ex international, Moses Kpakor has commended the Amaju Pinnick lead Nigeria Football Federation for repositioning the nation's football back to where it belongs. Kpakor, who was a member of the Super Eagles that featured at the 1990 African Cup of Nations in Algeria, where the team finished runners up to the host nation after losing the final 1-0, stated that the only negative side of the Pinnick's administration was the failure of the Nigeria's U-20 girls and the Flying Eagles to qualify for their respective World Cup games. The former BCC Lions FC and Abiola Babes defender told GKSPORTS DIGEST that the NFF under Pinnick have made tremendous improvement in the areas of securing lucrative sponsorship deals for the national teams and his achievement as an elective member of CAF executive committee remains a good omen for Nigeria. "The NFF is largely rated by the performances of our various national teams, and so his rating is higher than any NFF administration in...

Super Eagles Will Shock the World in Russia - Fregene

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Ex international Francis Fregene bares his mind on Super Eagles chances of winning the World Cup, the technical efficiency and effectiveness of Gernot Rohr and the team goalkeeping department in this exclusive interview with  GKSPORTS DIGEST'S AUGUSTINE AKHILOMEN Can we meet you Sir? My name is Francis Fregene Agbata. I am a former member of the Super Eagles and I have coached both the U-20 and U-17 National teams as a goalkeeper coach. Presently, I am a football administrator. Do you think the goalkeeping department will be a major worry for the Super Eagles technical crew considering the fact that goalkeepers such as Daniel Akpeyi, Ikechukwu Ezenwa, Dele Ajiboye, Francis Uzoho and Dele Alampasu have not really inspired some level of confidence? I don't really think the goalkeeping department will be a problem for the Super Eagles at the World Cup, knowing fully that our technical crew are technically sound and will do everything possible to ensure that they...

I'm Aiming For More Tennis Success - Federer

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WORLD No 1 Roger Federer believes he still needs to prove himself in tennis despite his continued odds at defying success. Federer has won a record eight Wimbledon titles, a joint-record six Australian Open titles, a record five consecutive US Open titles, and one French Open title. He is one of eight men to have captured a career Grand Slam. Federer has reached a record 30 men's singles Grand Slam finals, including 10 in a row from the 2005 Wimbledon Championships to the 2007 US Open. However, he insists he still wants to enjoy more success in the tennis court despite all his achievements. “I’m definitely in a good place. I also feel I have less to prove today than in the past but that doesn’t mean I don’t want it badly. “And I need to have that drive to be successful.” “You do care about the moments, you do care about the fans, what they think, how they portray you and you care for the result, you care for so many things. “As little pressure there seems to be, ther...

Inter, AC Milan and Roma Set Sights On Kovacic

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Italian clubs Inter Milan, AC Milan and Roma are all interested in Real Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic, according to Spanish media outlet AS. It is understood that Kovacic’s former club Inter sent scouts to watch Kovacic play at the Parc des Princes for the defending champions against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last week Tuesday. While the 23-year old is being targeted by Inter, where he had spent two-and-a-half-seasons before moving to the Spanish giants, AC Milan and Roma are also keeping an eye on him. The Croatian international hasn’t had much playing time under his belt this season as Real boss Zinedine Zidane persists with Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Casemiro in midfield. Therefore the Italian media probed him on whether he’d be open to a move back to Italy after impressing for Real in the victory over PSG – and Kovacic did not rule out a switch. “I don’t know, it’s difficult to talk about going back to Milan right now. I loved Italy and Milan. You ne...

Real Madrid Battle Arsenal For Fekir

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Though the winter transfer window just passed and the summer window is still months down the road, that hasn’t stopped the chatter of players potentially being on the move. Real Madrid have identified Lyon’s Nabil Fekir as the man to replace Gareth Bale, according to the Daily Star. Los Blancos are expected to be in the market for added creativity this summer and are ready to make a move for the highly-rated France international. Arsenal are also keen on the tricky 24-year-old and are reportedly willing to spend £45m on the France international, who is being constantly monitored by Wenger’s scout Gilles Grimandi.

Messi's €700 million release clause Won't Scare Bigger Clubs

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Barcelona corporate director Pancho Schroder concedes Lionel Messi's huge buyout clause may not be enough to frighten off big spenders. The Argentine maestro put a halt to speculation he could leave the Catalan giants by signing a contract extension until 2021 in November, with the deal including a €700 million release clause. But Schroder told Sky Sports: "We have established a clause that we consider sufficient for Messi to retire at Barcelona, but, having said that, a year ago we thought that Neymar's clause was also good enough to keep him and last summer it proved that it was not so. "Looking to the future, I think it's difficult, but I don't have a crystal ball and now things are getting a little crazy."

Arsenal, AC Milan Ready For Emirates Showdown

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Despite falling to the superior firepower of Arsenal at San Siro last week, Ac Milan will be hoping to outscore their host at the Emirates Stadium  on Thursday  in the second leg of the Europa League. The Gunners secured an impressive 2-0 win in Italy after weeks of terrible defeats in the Premier League and Carabao Cup, where they lost 3-0 to Manchester City twice before losing 2-1 against Brighton  on Sunday  to put question mark on Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger. However, the team knows the game is far from being over as they will be facing a never-say-die Ac Milan that last lost in December in all competitions before this recent defeat at home. Milan knowing fully that a 2-0 or 3-0 result would all but secure qualification to the quarter final of the Europa League, will definitely want to lay siege on the Gunners with the hope that an early goal will unsettle their host. Meanwhile, Wenger has revealed that they would get the job done at the Emirates even...

Real Madrid Not Dead Yet - Danilo

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Manchester City defender Danilo has revealed that he is not surprised by the manner in which Real Madrid defeated French giants PSG during their Champions League last-16 tie. Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Casemiro sealed a 2-1 victory for Madrid at the Parc Des Princes last week Tuesday and Zinedine Zidane's side completed a 5-2 aggregate victory. Danilo, who left Madrid in July to sign for City, was not surprised by how his former team-mates outshone PSG. "Only those who don’t know Real Madrid could think they were dead," Danilo told reporters. "Madrid have won the last two cups and those people said they were dead. Madrid have history, fans and you have to respect them."

No Team In Europe Is Stronger Than Barca - Thiago

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Thiago is not overly fussed about Bayern Munich's Champions League rivals - but admits Lionel Messi makes him go "wow". Bayern have one foot in the quarter-finals of Europe's major competition with a 5-0 lead after a first-leg demolition of Besiktas. Serie A holders Juventus, runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City, free scoring Liverpool and reigning champions Real Madrid have already booked their places in the last eight. Sevilla and Manchester United, Shakhtar Donetsk and Roma, and Chelsea and Barcelona are also on course to reach the quarter finals.  Thiago played with Messi at the Nou Camp and says he is in awe of the Argentine. However, the midfielder Thiago isn't scared of any of them and backs his German side  to triumph, and cruise through against any of Europe's elite club.

Bring On Real Madrid, Juventus - Salah

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Liverpool forward, Mohammed Salah has declared that the team isn’t scared of facing Real Madrid and Juventus in the quarter final of the UEFA Champions league. The Reds qualified to the next round after thrashing FC Porto 5-0 on aggregate, the first leg had ended 5-0 before playing a 0-0 draw at Anfield last week Tuesday. The Egyptian international has been in blistering form this season since joining Liverpool in the summer from Roma, scoring 33 goals in all competitions to help the Reds spearhead a possible title dream. Salah revealed that having crossed the round of 16 hurdles, the team welcomes any opponents from Real Madrid and Juventus in the quarter final. "We are really confident of ourselves regardless of what other teams in the Champions League feel. Our goal is to ensure that we face each game as they come and we are not scared of Real Madrid or Juventus in the next round should they pit us together. "We are more than focus in the competition and I belie...

Roma Face Litmus Test against Shakhtar Donetsk

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Roma must overturn a 2-1 deficit when they host Shakhtar Donetsk in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League tie, but they are fancied to produce a more disciplined display in Italy. The first clash was a game of two halves, with the Serie A side dominating play before the break but then struggled to cope with Shakhtar’s attacking talent after the interval. Admittedly, Shakhtar did look strong going forward in the opening leg, with Facundo Ferreyra equalising and then Fred’s stunning free-kick showing why he has been linked with Manchester City and PSG. It could have been significantly worse for Roma had Alisson not been in terrific form, producing great saves to deny Ferreyra and Taison. However, Shakhtar have had their limitations exposed on the road a couple of times this term, losing 2-0 at Manchester City and going down 3-0 at Napoli in their pool. Roma must now reproduce the home form they showed when they crushed Chelsea 3-0 at the end of October, one of three cl...

Man United Aim to topple Seville.

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Manchester United would have been content with a goalless draw from the first leg of their Champions League tie with Sevilla and are fancied to finish the job off at Old Trafford in the second leg  on Tuesday . David De Gea had to make one spectacular save to keep out a Luis Muriel header, but overall it was a solid display in Spain, straight out of Jose Mourinho textbook. However, with the Red Devils recent form, having defeated reigning Premier League Champions Chelsea and coming from a two-goal down to win 3-2 against Crystal Palace, the team appears to be in high spirit ahead of their clash against Seville. Although, Manchester United did not show much attacking ambition at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, but there were some encouraging signs when they did get forward. Mourinho must surely have taken note of how Romelu Lukaku outmuscled his marker to hit the back of the net late on, only for that effort to be ruled out for handball Meanwhile, Sevilla had 25 attempts on g...

Barca Plots Chelsea Downfall at Camp Nou

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Chelsea fly out to Barcelona knowing that they have to at least secure a score draw to stand a chance of progressing into the quarter final round of this season’s UEFA Champions League. With the tie evenly poised at 1-1 after Willian gave the host the lead before Lionel Messi scored his first goal against Chelsea to level score. This blockbuster Champions League tie is set up perfectly between two former winners of Europe’s elite prize. The odds do appear to be stacked against a somewhat out of form Blues side heading into this tie. Chelsea are no strangers to Barcelona in the Champions League and their form over the past years against the Spanish giants is impressive. In the last 10 meetings Chelsea have only lost once but have only won three times – the rest were all draws. However, the Catalans are already worried, most especially with the absence of Ousmane Dembele, Nelson Semedo, and Samuel Umtitin due to injuries. But the recent hamstring injury copped by Andre Iniesta...

Plateau United Will Overturn Etoil du Sahel Two-goal Deficit - Omoyele

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Despite losing 4-2 to Etoil du Sahel  on Tuesday  in the CAF Champions League playoff game, Plateau United midfielder, Tosin Omoyele says the team still have a possible chance of knocking out the Tunisian club in the second leg. Omoyele scored Plateau United second goal after Etoil du Sahel had scored four goals, to put serious question mark on their chances of making it to the next round. However, Omoyele told GK Sports Digest that they could still qualify regardless of the score line in the first leg. "I don't think it will be too nice to start assuming that we can't overturn the two-goal deficit Etoil du Sahel are having against us because in football anything can happen. "Besides, since the second leg will be played at our Stadium, who says we can't beat Etoil du Sahel and qualify to the group stages of the Africa Champions League. "I am not giving up hope considering the fact that if we could score two goals at their home ground, nothing also ...

I Can't Wait For Poland, Serbia Friendly Games - Ezenwa

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Super Eagles goalkeeper, Ikechukwu Ezenwa has disclosed that he would give everything to ensure that the team soar high ahead of the two international friendly games against Poland and Serbia. Ezenwa, who has been impressive in the colours of the senior national team since taking over from Carl Ikeme, was among the invited players that was called up by Super Eagles Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr for the international friendly encounter on  March 23 and 27 . He told GK Sports Digest that playing for the Super Eagles has improved the level of his game and that he would do everything to command a regular shirt. "I feel so delighted to have been invited by Super Eagles Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr for the friendly matches against Poland and Serbia," Ezenwa told GK Sports Digest. "God has been so wonderful to me and I am hoping and praying that I remain fit for those two games and also the World Cup proper." he concluded.

Okocha inducted as German legend

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Former Super Eagles and Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder, Austin Jay-Jay Okocha has been inducted into the German Bundesligalegends. This was confirmed on the official website of the German league. The Nigerian joins Ghana legend and CAF deputy general secretary, Anthony Baffoe, in the 11-man legends network that will be flying the Bundesliga flag across the world. The statement reads,“His sublime skills and tremendous tricks brought joy to fans of Eintracht Frankfurt and lit up Germany’s top division for many years, and now it has been announced that footballing icon Jay-Jay Okocha is the latest star to join the Bundesliga Legends Network. “The newest member of an elite group of former playing greats to become part of the illustrious Bundesliga Legends Network, Okocha set Germany’s playing fields alight between 1992 and ’96 when the Nigerian ace scored 18 goals and provided 13 assists in 90 memorable matches for the team known as The Eagles. “Never to be forgotten among the si...