tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27158808797375410142024-03-29T04:27:58.326+01:00CloudNine SportsA total package of all round sportainments.CloundNine Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14917648140916618835noreply@blogger.comBlogger1966125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2715880879737541014.post-91997926509381472602024-03-27T00:11:00.000+01:002024-03-27T03:18:48.293+01:00Finidi George’s Early Positivity Of His Interim Spell In Charge Of The Nigeria Super Eagles Come To A Swift End After Defeat Against Mali. <p>Super Eagles legend Finidi George’s chances of landing the Nigeria national team manager’s job on a permanent basis suffers a huge blow following a 2-0 defeat against Mali in Marrakesh, Morocco on Tuesday night.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgpk6Tvpo_9AIcyigDfF5ImjyvyKQOfC6IGxi_L8GbCCnj1x3nezGk5flNtEuM_jthGyIQa9iOoB6VakWGMpMI2YqeXFi_620rDn-vu88v0i76zBCf24H0wo6f0KPORezYjObYESUNQ5AIuwX9_oS-jPPBe5MEpmcNzHWwUzlhfIrTqyjo6GivbhrizH0/s4096/Nigeria%200-2%20Mali%20Friendly%20Finidi%20George%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="4096" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgpk6Tvpo_9AIcyigDfF5ImjyvyKQOfC6IGxi_L8GbCCnj1x3nezGk5flNtEuM_jthGyIQa9iOoB6VakWGMpMI2YqeXFi_620rDn-vu88v0i76zBCf24H0wo6f0KPORezYjObYESUNQ5AIuwX9_oS-jPPBe5MEpmcNzHWwUzlhfIrTqyjo6GivbhrizH0/s320/Nigeria%200-2%20Mali%20Friendly%20Finidi%20George%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Just four days after the Super Eagles bounced back from last month’s agonising 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final 2-1 defeat to host country Ivory Coast under Jose Peseiro, with a morale-boosting 2-1 victory over fierce rivals Ghana Black Stars in the so-called ‘Jollof Derby’ on Friday, courtesy of goals from Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers and Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman, while Crystal Palace striker Jordan Ayew scored a late consolatory goal for the Ghanaians in that encounter.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Super Eagles who seriously flattered to deceive, failed to build on that momentum win against 10-man Ghana which was a reality check ahead of the crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin in June.</p><p><br /></p><p>The game against Mali, was the 12th meeting between both teams. Nigeria have the head-to-head advantage, with six wins , draw three and three defeats in those games.</p><p>Coming into the game, Mali's most recent previous win over the Super Eagles was a 4-1 friendly victory way back in 1975, while Nigeria biggest victory was a 4-1 win in AFCON 2013.</p><p><br /></p><p>Super Eagles interim boss, Finidi George rotated a little from the team that started against Ghana. Experienced centre-back Kenneth Omeruo comes in, while Wilfred Ndidi starts in midfield.</p><p>The team has been hamstrung by injuries in this international break to key stars like Victor Osimhen, William Troost-Ekong, Victor Boniface, Ola Aina, and Zaidu Sanusi. Midfielder Frank Onyeka who was also withdrawn from the squad.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Nigeria vs Mali lineups:</b></p><p><b>Nigeria (3-4-3, right to left): </b>Nwabali (GK) — Omeruo, Awaziem, Ajayi — Osayi-Samuel, Ndidi, Onyedika, Collins — Iwobi, Iheanacho, Simon</p><p><b>Nigeria subs</b>: Uzoho, Ojo, Tanimu, Lookman, Dessers, Umar, Tella, Dele-Bashiru, Onyemaechi, Yusuf.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mali on the other hand, continued from their 2-0 win over Mauritania in their previous match on Friday, which was a real boost for Eric Chelle after their agonising AFCON quarter-final exit in Ivory Coast.</p><p>They will take a lot of confidence into their own June World Cup qualifiers against Ghana and Madagascar. </p><p><br /></p><p>Mali who are ranked 19 places below the Super Eagles in FIFA's latest standings, started with a (4-3-3 formation against the Super Eagles): Samassa (GK) — Traore, Kouyate, Sagnon, Guindo — Coulibaly, Samassekou, Haidara — Toure, K. Doumbia, Sinayoko.</p><p><b>Mali subs: </b>Diarra, Sacko, Fofana, Maiga, M. Doumbia, Diaby, Diambou, Sylla, Dorgelles, Diabate, Niakate, Sissoko.</p><p><br /></p><p>It was Atalanta striker El Bilal Toure who has endured an injury-plagued season in Serie A, that opened the scoring from close range in the 18th minute after Nigeria had been pressured into a dreadful error in possession following a short goal kick.</p><p>A defensive blunder from Chidozie Awaziem as he tried to play a long square pass under pressure near the edge of the Nigeria box and succeeded only in crossing the ball straight to the Mali striker. He controlled well on his chest before bundling a finish past goalkeeper Stanely Nwabali.</p><p><br /></p><p>With around 10 minutes of the first half remaining, Moses Simon was stretchered off the pitch after spurning a glorious chance to equalise during a collision with Mali goalkeeper Mamadou Samassa </p><p>The Nantes star had to be substituted after appearing to suffer a painful knee injury, as Cyriel Dessers replaced him and also wasted a golden opportunity to level the game at 1-1 in the second half.</p><p><br /></p><p>The well below-par Super Eagles just could not find that elusive equaliser and paid the price late on when Kamory Domain blasted past Stanley Nwabali to seal the win 2-0 with three minutes of normal time remaining. It was another moment to forget for the experienced Kenneth Omeruo and the Nigeria defence.</p><p><br /></p><p>The defeat leaves former Ajax and Real Betis winger Finidi George who won the 1994 AFCON and now Nigeria interim's boss concerned about his chances of earning the job on a full-time basis. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>CloundNine Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14917648140916618835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2715880879737541014.post-48699977354583387592024-03-09T14:33:00.003+01:002024-03-09T14:33:38.006+01:00"I Should be the WBC Heavyweight Champion of the World!" - AJ Claims After Victory Over Francis Ngannou.. <p>British professional boxer of Nigerian descent Anthony Oluwafemi Joshua a.k.a AJ claims he 'should be WBC heavyweight champion of the world' after his stunning victory over Francis Ngannou since the ex-UFC star BEAT title holder Tyson Fury when they fought back in October last year.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiKOpcD-WznnDdtuAoEf4wtS0BKbdm39mcj-VdSMpKTO0mqR8Wc87xHyoDVgz41oOvS3JHl5y8PpkX605a3_kB1JFQNBJ6lGzzsGOpuM-PjdCfuZj_Fn2p2vvilu6ZPYO23xUWKDBBNq9X7AOe-TFRu1M6HOWHtJSOZrr2WRkS2N1s6IA1xmYebm99MTQ/s4096/Make%20me%20World%20Champion%20Anthony%20Joshua%20CloudNine%20sports.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="4096" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiKOpcD-WznnDdtuAoEf4wtS0BKbdm39mcj-VdSMpKTO0mqR8Wc87xHyoDVgz41oOvS3JHl5y8PpkX605a3_kB1JFQNBJ6lGzzsGOpuM-PjdCfuZj_Fn2p2vvilu6ZPYO23xUWKDBBNq9X7AOe-TFRu1M6HOWHtJSOZrr2WRkS2N1s6IA1xmYebm99MTQ/s320/Make%20me%20World%20Champion%20Anthony%20Joshua%20CloudNine%20sports.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Joshua needed just two rounds to end the fight with the former UFC champion after landing a huge right-hook during the main event. </p><p>He sent Ngannou tumbling to the canvas once in the first-round before doing so twice more in the second - with the third knockdown proving crucial.</p><p><br /></p><p>Afterwards, during his post-fight press conference, Joshua suggested he should now claim the WBC title and reflected on Ngannou's previous fight with Tyson Fury. </p><p>"Francis Ngannou beat the WBC heavyweight champion of the world. I should be WBC heavyweight champion of the world right now! He's a great fighter"... Says AJ.</p><p><br /></p><p>"He stopped me. He did what Tyson Fury couldn't do. It wasn’t my day and he was much better than me today"... Added Ngannou.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">🗣️ "I should be the WBC Heavyweight Champion of the World!" - AJ 👀<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JoshuaNgannou?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JoshuaNgannou</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KnockoutChaos?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KnockoutChaos</a> <a href="https://t.co/nqsbEQU7oJ">pic.twitter.com/nqsbEQU7oJ</a></p>— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) <a href="https://twitter.com/MatchroomBoxing/status/1766277050896118212?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>CloundNine Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14917648140916618835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2715880879737541014.post-90522956014876808962024-03-09T06:00:00.013+01:002024-03-09T10:41:33.373+01:00Boxing: Anthony Joshua Reacts To Knocking-Out Ex-UFC Champion Francis Ngannou In Saudi Arabia. {WATCH THE FULL FIGHT} <p>Anthony Joshua knocked out former-UFC Champion Francis Ngannou dropping him in the 2nd round, something that WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury was unable to achieve.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi24l3RuZTexF-odT9NNH8ZapGd_BK6DSzcwE-FC2xNwtcKV2OBUl4GV3jdslWI5Tkbn07TFYBJ4dF9qWpp50hv4YcJTk2ObEChpyv1S8h2rS1jExW1g__0Ipzc0aeZDwK6G3RwOcQRMROxuG4oy8CRdE-TAfgqwXCifC9Vteq3ZYUfOUqUZs5hMO9J_FU/s4096/Anthony%20Joshua%20defeat%20Francis%20Ngannou%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="4096" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi24l3RuZTexF-odT9NNH8ZapGd_BK6DSzcwE-FC2xNwtcKV2OBUl4GV3jdslWI5Tkbn07TFYBJ4dF9qWpp50hv4YcJTk2ObEChpyv1S8h2rS1jExW1g__0Ipzc0aeZDwK6G3RwOcQRMROxuG4oy8CRdE-TAfgqwXCifC9Vteq3ZYUfOUqUZs5hMO9J_FU/s320/Anthony%20Joshua%20defeat%20Francis%20Ngannou%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>The fight between British professional boxer of Nigerian descent Anthony Oluwafemi Joshua and Cameroonian and French professional mixed martial artist Francis Ngannou is trending on social media.</p><p>Joshua produced one of the finest performances of his career in a devastating knockout of Ngannou in Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena, Saudi Arabia.</p><p>The 34-year-old, dropped Ngannou twice before a crushing third knockdown pinned Ngannou to the canvas in an emphatic stoppage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Coming into the contest on Friday night, Ngannou was standing in only his second boxing bout having floored heavyweight lineal champion Tyson Fury in an eventual decision loss in his debut in October last year.</p><p>Many, including Joshua, believed that Ngannou had won the bout after sending the 'Gypsy King' crashing to the canvas with a stunning knockdown.</p><p>After his boxing debut against Fury, the former UFC star loved the taste of the sport (and millions of dollars) to the point of booking his next fight almost immediately. Only this time, his opponent is Anthony Joshua and arguably the biggest challenge of his career to date.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPm0jGEWzXNIEcRy8jghFVykFeeUHIb1lBcq_k5PI-bK9uqQ5hlmGAjzwSqMZGvJLfbsmivnHLRhQJwgq30Acc9C_yiIw1-VsuRFS-x62NTBcd9zZrAoTKnFFW2aduRUJrYVthwlF9jg_vpJYdv0LAwl8-gv0xaxlj84SMw1DotkaQA3I_0tujLUGDI4/s570/2024-03-09T003142Z_1280781000_UP1EK3901GSGC_RTRMADP_3_BOXING-HEAVYWEIGHT-JOSHUA-NGANNOU-1709947356.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="570" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPm0jGEWzXNIEcRy8jghFVykFeeUHIb1lBcq_k5PI-bK9uqQ5hlmGAjzwSqMZGvJLfbsmivnHLRhQJwgq30Acc9C_yiIw1-VsuRFS-x62NTBcd9zZrAoTKnFFW2aduRUJrYVthwlF9jg_vpJYdv0LAwl8-gv0xaxlj84SMw1DotkaQA3I_0tujLUGDI4/s320/2024-03-09T003142Z_1280781000_UP1EK3901GSGC_RTRMADP_3_BOXING-HEAVYWEIGHT-JOSHUA-NGANNOU-1709947356.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) defeated Wladimir Klitschko in April 2017 to win the IBF and WBA heavyweight titles. Joshua added the WBO belt by defeating Joseph Parker a year later but then lost the titles to Andy Ruiz Jr. in June 2019. He regained them in the rematch six months later and made one defense before losing back-to-back fights to Oleksandr Usyk.</p><p>Joshua had been expected to face Deontay Wilder, but Wilder lost a unanimous decision to Parker in December, opening the door for Ngannou.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Nls82YHAq_MbmduARLAY73qvLwq7IzuG4_jpnlm2hSl5xnnUkt5sj11HmagO5l0ZR_0_SCx_IJyvlsU5eWnX1bKUyCjNhWHzTtE8NcWtEtMTXULQemd1I3IO7WWHzCeWuQwGnh8rOrukP_3yjkxwiE6252kwxn0K_J98kXyKHi07kcB49GTWXv41n4M/s760/20240309_102928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="760" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Nls82YHAq_MbmduARLAY73qvLwq7IzuG4_jpnlm2hSl5xnnUkt5sj11HmagO5l0ZR_0_SCx_IJyvlsU5eWnX1bKUyCjNhWHzTtE8NcWtEtMTXULQemd1I3IO7WWHzCeWuQwGnh8rOrukP_3yjkxwiE6252kwxn0K_J98kXyKHi07kcB49GTWXv41n4M/s320/20240309_102928.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Joshua who had been ready throughout the entire year and wants to prove his losses against Oleksandr Usyk were a mistake, had his eye on victory to set up a potential fight with WBC champion Fury, which now seems inevitable given the manner of the victory.</p><p>That's four wins in a row now for Joshua as he looks to get back to the top of the heavyweight division.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fury will face Oleksandr Usyk – the WBA, IBF and WBO champion – in their rearranged May 18 bout that will crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 2000.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Anthony Joshua speaking to DAZN after knocking out Francis Ngannou: <i><span style="font-family: arial;">"On the road to the championship, you should always stay focussed. I thought this was something for the broadcasters to get behind. When I saw the fight with Tyson Fury I thought I want some of that. He is a great champion and this doesn't take anything away from his capabilities. I told him not to leave boxing. He's two fights in and he fought the best.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">"The Ben Davison performance centre, I appreciate them highly. All of these guys that I worked with until this day. I'm just hungry. Stay hungry and all that good stuff.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">"It only takes one shot in the heavyweight division. Joseph Parker is one of my favourite fighters, he had it tough and look at him now. I'm just doing it while I'm here and making the most of it. In five years I won't be fighting.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">"Eddie Hearn and my team will shape my future. I'm going back to my cage and when they let me out, I'll fight again.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">"The people of Cameroon, I appreciate you. Africa united, respect. Everyone here tonight, I appreciate you. Thank you to Francis Ngannou."</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></i></p><p>Meanwhile, Francis Ngannou reportedly earned $20 million from his fight against Anthony Joshua. He also earned $10 million from the Tyson Fury fight.</p><p>Joshua earned $50 million from the fight. He has made $30 million from two boxing matches. He only made $3.5 million from 14 UFC fights in 7 years. </p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="color: #351c75;">WATCH THE FULL FIGHT!</span></b></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Francis Ngannou vs Anthony Joshua FULL FIGHT 🔥<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JoshuaNgannou?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JoshuaNgannou</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KnockoutChaos?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KnockoutChaos</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Fury?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Fury</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UFC299?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UFC299</a> <a href="https://t.co/cq75wNWmeE">pic.twitter.com/cq75wNWmeE</a></p>— ableton MMA (@ableton_mma) <a href="https://twitter.com/ableton_mma/status/1766285684258820196?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2024</a></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>CloundNine Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14917648140916618835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2715880879737541014.post-90438557932229253752024-03-08T17:52:00.000+01:002024-03-09T08:28:37.713+01:00Hojlund, Mainoo, Arteta and Flekken WINS Premier League Monthly Awards For February.<p>Manchester United's duo Rasmus Hojlund and Kobbie Mainoo, have taken home two of the monthly Premier League awards for February (Player of the Month and Goal of the Month awards), while Arsenal's manager Mikel Arteta scoops the Manager of the Month award.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu8jEVrLIEup_b1Gctddxs4dPcrNPlgl6DRLfxUxdITWGo04RuMIrPI5KsU_p58JSF6INEX6KDOCzVJ_NgL2EZBWNihJtAsARJOTqdCxDRxjJvWMyPsktnUVJqzUTiJc7iwKgU5GuAMgYsRhjpvV5Ik6vKJgI6yoKLdYMGvwgn3luSwWALhGVWzbmt2kU/s4096/Hojlund%20Mainoo%20Arteta%20WINS%20PL%20awards%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="4096" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu8jEVrLIEup_b1Gctddxs4dPcrNPlgl6DRLfxUxdITWGo04RuMIrPI5KsU_p58JSF6INEX6KDOCzVJ_NgL2EZBWNihJtAsARJOTqdCxDRxjJvWMyPsktnUVJqzUTiJc7iwKgU5GuAMgYsRhjpvV5Ik6vKJgI6yoKLdYMGvwgn3luSwWALhGVWzbmt2kU/s320/Hojlund%20Mainoo%20Arteta%20WINS%20PL%20awards%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Man United’s striker Hojlund has made Premier League history, as he was on Friday, voted as the Premier League’s Player of the Month for February.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fans had until 12 PM GMT on March 4 to vote for their winner and United fans voted in bunches to secure their new fan favourite his first Player of the Month award for the club. The public's votes on the EA SPORTS website were combined with those of a panel of football experts.</p><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Hojlund was level with Saka and Watkins, having six goal contributions in February but the bond the boyhood United fan has forged with the supporters was always going to make him the favourite for the award.</div><div><br /></div><div>The 21-year-old, netted five times while also claiming an assist, and scored in all four of his February appearances, with United winning all four of the games against Wolves, West Ham, Aston Villa and Luton Town respectively. Overall, he netted in six consecutive games, becoming the youngest player in Premier League history to do so.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWZkkh7NXrs5bisovA2K0QehUmCx5aV5tG2qz0Q4X1lGaaWvcWD1XSqyVptrdxGhi0qkjeQ7zhbRSOQQqwIq5i6tzz9oHPNhyphenhyphenf84JUd6vMXVQq7PqtAE7bQifaf8h93CL4Kh_-srID5ulZCLjcXvRkS7xB3VCYN9penEJyc_ZS30KrDj7bLvFgkfB0Mkc/s479/a536369c-1ed7-4845-b87b-f4612c7d778f.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="479" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWZkkh7NXrs5bisovA2K0QehUmCx5aV5tG2qz0Q4X1lGaaWvcWD1XSqyVptrdxGhi0qkjeQ7zhbRSOQQqwIq5i6tzz9oHPNhyphenhyphenf84JUd6vMXVQq7PqtAE7bQifaf8h93CL4Kh_-srID5ulZCLjcXvRkS7xB3VCYN9penEJyc_ZS30KrDj7bLvFgkfB0Mkc/s320/a536369c-1ed7-4845-b87b-f4612c7d778f.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>His recent performances has blown past expectations after a slow start to the season and was one of the biggest reasons for United’s mini-revival in the league in February, directly leading them to eight points, propelling the Red Devils into the race for European qualification.</p><p><br /></p><p>Adding to that, Hojlund also becomes the first ever Dane to be named the Premier League’s Player of the Month.</p><p>He topped a seven-person shortlist that also included Phil Foden, Joao Gomes, Pascal Gross, Rodrigo Muniz, Bukayo Saka and Ollie Watkins.</p><p>He is the second United player this season to win the award after Harry Maguire claimed it in November.</p><p><br /></p><div><i><span style="font-family: arial;">“I’m very happy,”</span></i> he told club media on Wednesday. <span style="font-family: arial;"><i>“Of course, it’s a big privilege to get this award, especially with the other contenders who were nominated as well.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>“So yeah, I’m very grateful and happy for the award.”</i></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>It isn’t a coincidence that United’s performance levels crashed as soon as their in-form striker got injured and it has been a slog since then.</div><p>Hojlund has been sidelined with a muscle injury for the past couple of weeks, which United promptly finished with a 2-1 loss at home against Fulham on Saturday Feb. 24 due to the absence of their focal point.</p><p>He also missed United’s game against derby rivals Man City last Sunday which they loss 3-1 despite Marcus Rashford scoring first (a screamer) at the Etihad.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUznjENbygpQ5fDUQmt_D5n-SyEIefGM4JbYtg7AqXgdpOMiPo49T97sq09pai49Cg__P7dP3UPqkXA2bVuBnAjzvET4IXpEz0LG79WNeZcWb5-PsPCA068XIuUt20i_QLP451wkhSn_w4IXysdGGPmbW6sCdyjfgMcKWeQNZL6Z4gKzUR6Zm3ucygtU0/s2048/20240218_182348.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUznjENbygpQ5fDUQmt_D5n-SyEIefGM4JbYtg7AqXgdpOMiPo49T97sq09pai49Cg__P7dP3UPqkXA2bVuBnAjzvET4IXpEz0LG79WNeZcWb5-PsPCA068XIuUt20i_QLP451wkhSn_w4IXysdGGPmbW6sCdyjfgMcKWeQNZL6Z4gKzUR6Zm3ucygtU0/s320/20240218_182348.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>United would be hoping to get back to winning ways, as they preparing to take on relegation-threatened Everton side at Old Trafford on Saturday. The Red Devils boss, Erik ten Hag has won all three games against the Toffees since taking over at United.</p><p>Ahead of the fixture, Ten Hag has revealed Hojlund will only return from injury just in time to face Liverpool in the FA Cup next Sunday. </p><p>Hojlund will be tasked with downing a resilient Liverpool team to secure a place in the FA Cup's final four and a trip to Wembley.</p><div><div>United have won just one of their last six games against the Premier League table-topping Reds who recently won the Carabao Cup already this season.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div>Alongside Hojlund, Man Utd February awards was double, with Kobbie Mainoo also winning the Goal of the Month.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtNbPRjmONVlGjZj0IHk4awjg3pWIQt4FcZeZs_Z-Zu8Lmjmc6fhDZwCs7_SA0rjd4XvN7jYd80-NkUFcDhluX1TV9uE7kiwbGEQVQ-pfsxZnuku-Nio0_ij8GFIZ2VvplvPTXIhLifh2rsUA5F9teOJqCYejXe1UNadOzaljhzL-dCLZuJ-OY_omWRVM/s594/Mainoo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="594" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtNbPRjmONVlGjZj0IHk4awjg3pWIQt4FcZeZs_Z-Zu8Lmjmc6fhDZwCs7_SA0rjd4XvN7jYd80-NkUFcDhluX1TV9uE7kiwbGEQVQ-pfsxZnuku-Nio0_ij8GFIZ2VvplvPTXIhLifh2rsUA5F9teOJqCYejXe1UNadOzaljhzL-dCLZuJ-OY_omWRVM/s320/Mainoo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Mainoo's brilliant match-winning strike in Man United's dramatic 4-3 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Feb. 1 wins the Goal of the Month award.</div><div><br /></div></div></div><div><div><div><br /></div><div><div>With the game tied at 3-3, the 18-year-old United academy graduate, picked up the ball after a one-two pass with Omari Forson and dribbled past two Wolves defenders before slotting the ball into the far bottom corner past Portuguese goalkeeper Jose Sa in the seventh minute of second half stoppage time Molineux Stadium.</div><div><br /></div><div>The goal, which turned out to be the match-winner, was his first in the Premier League and his second for Erik Ten Hag’s side, as it sealed all three points for the Red Devils.</div></div><div><br /></div></div></div><div><div><br /></div></div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">One you could watch over and over 🔁 <a href="https://t.co/8dMCOpJgQK">pic.twitter.com/8dMCOpJgQK</a></p>— Premier League (@premierleague) <a href="https://twitter.com/premierleague/status/1766086689078800693?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2024</a> </blockquote><p><br /></p><div><div><div>It remarkably, makes it the second successive month in which a player has won the Goal of the Month award with their maiden goal in the competition, after Man City's Oscar Bobb claimed January's prize. </div><div><br /></div><div>It also means Man Utd have won three of this season's seven Goal of the Month awards, following Bruno Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho’s previous wins in September and November, respectively.</div><div><br /></div><div>Mainoo becomes the youngest player to ever win the Premier League Goal of the Month, and also the latest ever goal in a match to win the award.</div><div><br /></div><div>Mainoo's goal topped a shortlist of eight of the best in February, Richarlison (Tottenham Hotspur), Joao Pedro (Brighton and Hove Albion), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Jefferson Lerma and Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace), Darwin Nunez (Liverpool), and Emerson Palmieri (West Ham) to win the accolade.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div></div><div><div><div><b>Goal of the Month shortlist for February:</b></div><div>Kobbie Mainoo (Wolves 3-4 Man Utd)</div><div>Richarlison (2nd goal) (Everton 2-2 Spurs)</div><div>Joao Pedro (Brighton 4-1 Crystal Palace)</div><div>Declan Rice (West Ham 0-6 Arsenal)</div><div>Jefferson Lerma (Crystal Palace 1-3 Chelsea)</div><div>Darwin Nunez (Brentford 1-4 Liverpool)</div><div>Jordan Ayew (Everton 1-1 Crystal Palace)</div><div>Emerson Palmieri (West Ham 4-2 Brentford)</div></div><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div>Elsewhere, across London, Mikel Arteta basks in the glory of being named the Manager of the Month following Arsenal's flawless February performance after winning all four matches in the month.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lMW1GtO4mGyJ6Py3eQ0TaOrr9IIpVzbD9UCWgZf9iSdpnRHoD2g3QREHKGWbaMfXg8YOBc6AhpgoxV9s3H71eb_gz3yZoYMukr8j0OkROPUjk_eAP_1bk6b3uh_Koz2GRRvZR-Crp5fzAFNgNgH_T7FBMB-nOZTIN7iRbYvBOGQGeX-LxfVMFrOLYvA/s3816/20240224_231356.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2545" data-original-width="3816" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lMW1GtO4mGyJ6Py3eQ0TaOrr9IIpVzbD9UCWgZf9iSdpnRHoD2g3QREHKGWbaMfXg8YOBc6AhpgoxV9s3H71eb_gz3yZoYMukr8j0OkROPUjk_eAP_1bk6b3uh_Koz2GRRvZR-Crp5fzAFNgNgH_T7FBMB-nOZTIN7iRbYvBOGQGeX-LxfVMFrOLYvA/s320/20240224_231356.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>The Gunners also had the best attack, scoring 18 goals, six more than anyone else, and the joint-best defence, conceding only twice. </div><div><br /></div><div>They were the only Premier League team with a 100 per cent winning record in February, beating leaders Liverpool 3-1 at the Emirates, a 6-0 win away at West Ham United, 5-0 win at Burnley, and 4-1 win at home against Newcastle United.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Arsenal's impeccable run, under Arteta's astute guidance, has seen them close the gap between them, Liverpool and Man City at the top of the Premier League table to just two points.</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKi635d5Zsmh3rXV4yffwlvxiEaxVwzc9DLnimLIVdG777YszEb56L7_zhEEg4h9dhJxo5ER1eIX91JKUtptWCaN2JZIrTypICiVpYrH7JBGRrAq67x-vfHvDKjPPv8X0ri1n7SECPFb4wgG2D-1T1trKRfbBeZkk6dP3WBU6Z_p3XdkkgYg1leHvEIO8/s2048/20240309_075547.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1432" data-original-width="2048" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKi635d5Zsmh3rXV4yffwlvxiEaxVwzc9DLnimLIVdG777YszEb56L7_zhEEg4h9dhJxo5ER1eIX91JKUtptWCaN2JZIrTypICiVpYrH7JBGRrAq67x-vfHvDKjPPv8X0ri1n7SECPFb4wgG2D-1T1trKRfbBeZkk6dP3WBU6Z_p3XdkkgYg1leHvEIO8/s320/20240309_075547.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Arteta, who has now claimed the Manager of the Month title on seven occasions since 2019, remains focused on pushing Arsenal even higher in the league standings, as </div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div>Arteta topped a three-man shortlist that also included Man City's Pep Guardiola and Man United's Erik ten Hag. </div><div><br /></div><div>Only seven managers in Premier League history have won the prize more times than the Arsenal boss who moves level with Rafa Benitez.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Most Manager of the Month awards via the Premier League website;</b></div><div>Manager<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Matches managed<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Times won</div><div>Sir Alex Ferguson<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>810 <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>27</div><div>Arsene Wenger<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 828<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 15</div><div>Pep Guardiola<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 293<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 11</div><div>David Moyes<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 686<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 10</div><div>Jurgen Klopp<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 323<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 10</div><div>Martin O'Neill<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 359<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 8</div><div>Harry Redknapp<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>641 <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 8</div><div>Rafa Benitez<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 359<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 7</div><div>Mikel Arteta<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 160<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 7</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken also won February’s Premier League Save of the Month award for his impressive stop against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 10 February.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDowlNVdJtetAglCmvBfJqoGZHG05YSOlYH4SaUawukdXB8yaWNtssnvFMshVfEUZZiSkRmUR0xKeM-D94AD5LQ87NDdH9e6CEv6K_PVPVr3ShhH_3gXmTlnbi4fpkiDdwV03vQxhXkEUjEUiBk5Or2Huxr5HymWqmLBezclGLD70XH8Ji20Mi0StKllc/s1200/Brentford_07MAR2024_4575.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1200" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDowlNVdJtetAglCmvBfJqoGZHG05YSOlYH4SaUawukdXB8yaWNtssnvFMshVfEUZZiSkRmUR0xKeM-D94AD5LQ87NDdH9e6CEv6K_PVPVr3ShhH_3gXmTlnbi4fpkiDdwV03vQxhXkEUjEUiBk5Or2Huxr5HymWqmLBezclGLD70XH8Ji20Mi0StKllc/s320/Brentford_07MAR2024_4575.webp" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div>With the Bees leading 1-0 at the time courtesy of Christian Nørgaard, it happened that a cross from Pablo Sarabia fell to Pedro Neto, who met it with his forehead at the back post. The ball looked destined for the bottom corner, but Flekken clawed it off his line and on to the post, before it was hooked away and the danger was cleared.</div><div><br /></div><div>Brentford went on to win the game 2-0 – Ivan Toney doubling the lead 13 minutes from time.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Flekken's save topped a shortlist of six of the best saves by goalkeepers across the month.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>Save shortlist:</div><div>Jose Sa (Wolves 3-4 Man Utd)</div><div>Guglielmo Vicario (Everton 2-2 Spurs)</div><div>Emiliano Martinez (Sheff Utd 0-5 Aston Villa)</div><div>Andre Onana (Man Utd 3-0 West Ham)</div><div>Mark Flekken (Wolves 0-2 Brentford)</div><div>Alphonse Areola (West Ham 0-6 Arsenal)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><div><b>2023/24 Player award winners:</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>August: James Maddison (Spurs)</div><div>September: Son Heung-min (Spurs)</div><div>October: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)</div><div>November: Harry Maguire (Man Utd)</div><div>December: Dominic Solanke (Bournemouth)</div><div>January: Diogo Jota (Liverpool)</div><div>February: Rasmus Hojlund (Man Utd)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><b>2023/24 Goal of the Month winners:</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>August: Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton)</div><div>September: Bruno Fernandes (Man Utd)</div><div>October: Saman Ghoddos (Brentford)</div><div>November: Alejandro Garnacho (Man Utd)</div><div>December: Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool)</div><div>January: Oscar Bobb (Man City)</div><div>February: Kobbie Mainoo (Man Utd) </div></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><br /></div><div><b>2023/24 Manager of the Month winners:</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>August: Ange Postecoglou (Spurs)</div><div>September: Ange Postecoglou (Spurs)</div><div>October: Ange Postecoglou (Spurs)</div><div>November: Erik ten Hag (Man Utd)</div><div>December: Unai Emery (Aston Villa)</div><div>January: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)</div><div>February: Mikel Arteta (Arsenal)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>2023/24 Save of the Month winners:</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>August: Alisson (Liverpool)</div><div>September: Robert Sanchez (Chelsea)</div><div>October: Alphonse Areola (West Ham)</div><div>November: Thomas Kaminski (Luton)</div><div>December: Wes Foderingham (Sheff Utd)</div><div>January: Jordan Pickford (Everton)</div><div>February: Mark Flekken (Brentford).</div></div><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
CloundNine Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14917648140916618835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2715880879737541014.post-5764719505413709622024-02-29T16:40:00.002+01:002024-02-29T16:49:39.530+01:00Juventus Star Paul Pogba Reacts To Being Handed A Four-Year BAN For a Doping Offence.<p>Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has been banned from football for four years for a doping offence.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjZI3B2oe-vbZZDf8mADWbodI1LObAMgIAh0kHrwG1m-KpUEe8h-TxH2w5fQee5fTvkmnFT288m6y3mZ26uQdbdRyglLZCmVqfJ6Ww6hyOINTY3WI-mGL5mjoqYT_48eajWiNqWXatYaXO_fpW6qduxpz5SsdIYvGklhf2HisOiANzHc7ttFi4fiXGTTM/s900/pogba%20reacts%20fo%20four%20year%20ban%20doping%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="900" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjZI3B2oe-vbZZDf8mADWbodI1LObAMgIAh0kHrwG1m-KpUEe8h-TxH2w5fQee5fTvkmnFT288m6y3mZ26uQdbdRyglLZCmVqfJ6Ww6hyOINTY3WI-mGL5mjoqYT_48eajWiNqWXatYaXO_fpW6qduxpz5SsdIYvGklhf2HisOiANzHc7ttFi4fiXGTTM/s320/pogba%20reacts%20fo%20four%20year%20ban%20doping%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>The France World Cup winner, who has been suspended since last September, was tested after Juventus' game against Udinese on August 20, 2023. He did not play in the match but was on the bench.</p><p>The results showed elevated levels of testosterone, a hormone that increases athletes’ endurance.</p><p>Meanwhile, a second test sample has now been checked and he tested positive for doping, reports Sky in Italy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pogba who is in his second stint at Italian club Juventus since leaving Manchester United in 2022, has now been handed a four-year ban, considered among the strongest possible punishments for the offence.</p><p>Italy's National Anti-Doping Tribunal (TNA) accepted the request of the Anti-Doping Prosecutor's Office to hand out the four-year ban having violated anti-doping rules - which is the standard length of ban under the World Anti-Doping Code (WADA).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnuP_euLZ4fIKbwkhCrzcCt0GkJWYBPUDVRhdZk9RAUNfeEoReT-cccQgeCw7upe6MDPF5md2mqo7xSkucQiVF-JBoo107V9OJP8fkawlM7q0VziOWR0BZurCF4FNMJadmJtHns5cpr6jaUg1uUk2OaFr4S1h_YaLoW3yi_cD2YN2_j239cx1oJE1LxnQ/s768/skysports-paul-pogba-france_6473427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="768" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnuP_euLZ4fIKbwkhCrzcCt0GkJWYBPUDVRhdZk9RAUNfeEoReT-cccQgeCw7upe6MDPF5md2mqo7xSkucQiVF-JBoo107V9OJP8fkawlM7q0VziOWR0BZurCF4FNMJadmJtHns5cpr6jaUg1uUk2OaFr4S1h_YaLoW3yi_cD2YN2_j239cx1oJE1LxnQ/s320/skysports-paul-pogba-france_6473427.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>The ban starts from when Pogba first tested positive, so the France international is banned until August 2027. </p><p>The punishment could effectively bring an end to Pogba’s footballing career as the midfielder be will turn 31 years old in March. He will be 34 years old when the ban stops, raising doubts over whether his career will continue after that.</p><p>Four-years ban are standard under the World Anti-Doping Code but can be reduced in cases where an athlete can prove their doping was not intentional, if the positive test was a result of contamination or if they provide "substantial assistance" to help investigators.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since his return to Italy, he was hampered by injuries. He played in 178 matches for Juve from 2012 to '16.</p><p>He was ruled out of France's run to the World Cup final in 2022 due to a knee injury.</p><p><br /></p><p>There has also been an ongoing police investigation in France into allegations that Pogba was targeted by extortionists -- including by his older brother Mathias, who has denied any wrongdoing.</p><p><br /></p><p>In a statement later on Thursday, Pogba confirmed he is 'sad, shocked and heartbroken' at the ban, and will appeal against it in the ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne.</p><p> He insisted he has never taken banned substances and would tell his full story 'when I am free of legal restrictions'.</p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">"I have today been informed of the Tribunale Nazionale Antidoping's decision and believe that the verdict is incorrect,"</span></i> Pogba said.</p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>"I am sad, shocked and heartbroken that everything I have built in my professional playing career has been taken away from me.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>"When I am free of legal restrictions the full story will become clear, but I have never knowingly or deliberately taken any supplements that violate anti-doping regulations.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>"As a professional athlete I would never do anything to enhance my performance by using banned substances and have never disrespected or cheated fellow athletes and supporters of any of the teams I have played for, or against.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>"As a consequence of the decision announced today I will appeal this before the Court of Arbitration for Sport."</i></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>CloundNine Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14917648140916618835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2715880879737541014.post-59124673326739862352024-02-28T17:59:00.006+01:002024-02-29T15:59:34.156+01:00The 2023/24 FA Cup Quarter-Final Draws Confirmed [Full fixtures]<p>The draw for the 2023/2024 FA Cup quarter-final have been completed on Wednesday night.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD3Bg1BgZ3LOl0paCkRikCym6gCC9W_tb0zaKZTH3Wee6lzQ7mOx3KXjsjP1qkCa4uMQUZoIS4aFQtZQ1kbxBNYW4nmhv1GeQss6kVGxNwh-ObBQk-32AlMGutooyLI1Eabu4LJAMF1OkiZgEkbvTPTD7-1EkddGqTqGMDNra8zp7NNUfL0EwE1nXSBrw/s615/FA%20Cup%20draw%20CloudNine%20Sports%20.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="615" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD3Bg1BgZ3LOl0paCkRikCym6gCC9W_tb0zaKZTH3Wee6lzQ7mOx3KXjsjP1qkCa4uMQUZoIS4aFQtZQ1kbxBNYW4nmhv1GeQss6kVGxNwh-ObBQk-32AlMGutooyLI1Eabu4LJAMF1OkiZgEkbvTPTD7-1EkddGqTqGMDNra8zp7NNUfL0EwE1nXSBrw/s320/FA%20Cup%20draw%20CloudNine%20Sports%20.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Liverpool could play fierce rivals Manchester United for a place in the semi-final, if they get past Southampton in the fifth round on Wednesday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>Man United would also need to beat Nottingham Forest at the City Ground to set up the showdown, while Liverpool who are recently crowned Carabao Cup winners on Sunday would need to get past Southampton.</p><p><br /></p><p>Elsewhere, Championship leaders Leicester City will travel to face the winners of the Chelsea and Leeds United tie.</p><p>Coventry City who are ninth in the Championship, trashed Maidstone United 5-0 on Monday in the fifth round, and will play either Wolves or Brighton away from home.</p><p><br /></p><p>The only confirmed tie drawn is holders Manchester City against Newcastle in another all-Premier League encounter.</p><p>City booked their place in the last eight with an emphatic 6-2 victory over Luton Town, in which Erling Haaland became the first top-division player to score five goals in an FA Cup game since George Best struck six for Manchester United against Northampton Town in 1970.</p><p>Newcastle and Leicester City also sealed their spots on Tuesday, the former requiring a penalty shootout against Blackburn Rovers and the latter needing extra time to get past Bournemouth.</p><p><br /></p><p>All four quarter-final ties will be played across the weekend of March 16 and 17</p><p><br /></p><p><b>FA Cup quarter-final draw in full:</b></p><p>• Wolves or Brighton 🆚 Coventry</p><p>• Nottingham Forest or Man United 🆚 Liverpool or Southampton</p><p>• Chelsea or Leeds 🆚 Leicester City</p><p>• Man City 🆚 Newcastle United</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>CloundNine Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14917648140916618835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2715880879737541014.post-33394333989714841622024-02-25T22:30:00.005+01:002024-02-26T10:51:22.109+01:00Virgil Van Dijk Reacts To Lifting His First Trophy As Liverpool's Captain After 1-0 Win Against Chelsea In Carabao Cup Final. <p>Liverpool have won their first trophy of a potential quadruple this season, defeating Chelsea 1-0, thanks to a late extra-time goal from Reds captain Virgil van Dijk at Wembley on Sunday evening.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>Money couldn’t buy the Blues the trophy despite spending £1bn, in the most expensive makeover in footballing history, as Jurgen Klopp's kindergarten kids left them with a billion tears.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyF_-Bmhuf1ZtWgqiYm41GorOz44M00Z4-HDReFjC9W5Yas5HphTHuNrBd4zfmNUR0PQs9AVxTxw_1oj4Psq8LwM-N9f4E6qwbxz034XDMaLNPNlS3KeAArFwv1f8pQuADgCbwLZHWJtbtYslBhPUO-STBVOWyYU7iCyfxMhp2okG4H9ikFthi58q-Xgg/s4096/Liverpool%202024%20Carabao%20Cup%20winners%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="4096" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyF_-Bmhuf1ZtWgqiYm41GorOz44M00Z4-HDReFjC9W5Yas5HphTHuNrBd4zfmNUR0PQs9AVxTxw_1oj4Psq8LwM-N9f4E6qwbxz034XDMaLNPNlS3KeAArFwv1f8pQuADgCbwLZHWJtbtYslBhPUO-STBVOWyYU7iCyfxMhp2okG4H9ikFthi58q-Xgg/s320/Liverpool%202024%20Carabao%20Cup%20winners%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>It was Liverpool's 10th triumph in the competition (1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1995, 2001, 2003, 2012, 2022, 2024), and it was achieved without a host of injured star names, including forward trio Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota, also losing Ryan Gravenberch when he was taken off on a stretcher after Moises Caicedo's first-half challenge.</p><p><br /></p><p>Having been humiliated 4-1 at Anfield 25 days earlier, Chelsea failed to capitalise on Liverpool's dilapidated injury list squad, to the substitutions, that saw closer to a C-team than a B-team play for the Reds, with the senior figures watching the game with their crutches, in their knee braces, nursing their various wounds.</p><p><br /></p><p>Liverpool were indebted to goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher who produced another outstanding Wembley performance after being the hero when Chelsea were beaten 11-10 in a remarkable penalty shootout in the 2022 EFL Cup final, in which Chelsea's then-goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga missed his spot kick and the Reds' Kelleher scored his.</p><p><br /></p><p>In a tight first half encounter, Kelleher blocked brilliantly from Cole Palmer while Liverpool's Cody Gakpo saw a header bounce back off the post. Chelsea's Raheem Sterling also saw a close-range effort ruled out for offside against Nicolas Jackson.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvNzk2vlHw-O2nwFwo0MrC_3Rmkb5K_WeTFdZnNXVHLH98qaduqzAfadFinp7siAkx59o1Tzvz1JsHxajqJJ3hNKh2ESZOUCuH8DAtPggI9K6EhJz8ckBtkKleH_8cconP2nyH7P2MY7akMNH_SP7XvtnJi2OXSHC4e0RIViSlHxXVJBtyDqGumHFpc9g/s633/Kelleher%20Carabao%20Cup%20Final%20Liverpool%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="633" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvNzk2vlHw-O2nwFwo0MrC_3Rmkb5K_WeTFdZnNXVHLH98qaduqzAfadFinp7siAkx59o1Tzvz1JsHxajqJJ3hNKh2ESZOUCuH8DAtPggI9K6EhJz8ckBtkKleH_8cconP2nyH7P2MY7akMNH_SP7XvtnJi2OXSHC4e0RIViSlHxXVJBtyDqGumHFpc9g/s320/Kelleher%20Carabao%20Cup%20Final%20Liverpool%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>As the chances came thick and fast after the break, Ben Chilwell was culpable when Van Dijk met Andy Robertson’s free kick with a thumping header. The Dutchman thought he had put Liverpool in front on the hour only for the goal to be contentiously ruled out for offside against Wataru Endo following a lengthy Video Assistant Referee (VAR) intervention as the Japan midfielder blocked off Chelsea defender Levi Colwill.</p><p><br /></p><p>Liverpool powered on, and the only goal of the game came in the 118th minute after left-back Kostas Tsimikas curled in a corner, and inspirational captain Van Dijk rose above the £88m Mykhailo Mudryk to nod it in. </p><p><br /></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">A captain's goal fit to win any final 😍 <a href="https://t.co/HchufKPmYJ">pic.twitter.com/HchufKPmYJ</a></p>— Liverpool FC (@LFC) <a href="https://twitter.com/LFC/status/1761854831818637501?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2024</a> </blockquote><p><br /></p><p>That goal was the latest winning goal scored in a League Cup final since Aston Villa’s Brian Little won the 1977 final against Everton in the 119th minute.</p><p><br /></p><p>After a monumental performance in defence in a win which seemed against the odds for long periods, it was Van Dijk first honour as captain since replacing Jordan Henderson as skipper.</p><p><br /></p><p>Klopp becomes the third Liverpool manager to win the trophy more than once as his long goodbye to his departure at the end of the season began with the first of a potential four pieces of silverware.</p><p><br /></p><p>But for opposite number, Mauricio Pochettino's long wait for an English domestic trophy continues.</p><p>Chelsea have now become the first English side to lose six straight major domestic cup finals, the last three of which have come at the hands of Liverpool:</p><p>2019 Carabao Cup</p><p>2020 FA Cup</p><p>2021 FA Cup</p><p>2022 Carabao Cup</p><p>2022 FA Cup</p><p>2024 Carabao Cup </p><p><br /></p><p>Liverpool will earn just £100,000 in prize money after getting their hands on the Carabao Cup trophy, with losers Chelsea taking home £50,000.</p><p>The beaten semi-finalists - Fulham and Middlesbrough - banked only £25,000 for reaching the last four, with those knocked out in the earlier rounds not making a penny in prize money.</p><p><br /></p><p>Post-match reaction from Van Dijk</p><p>The Liverpool captain was asked if he is savouring this moment with manager Jurgen Klopp who is leaving at the end of the season. He replied: <i><span style="font-family: arial;">“You should always savour the good moments, this is definitely one of them.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">“Listen, we will never take things for granted and you see today it could have been the other was as well that we lost but we did a job, even with all the problems we have had before the game.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">“Intense game for both sides, they had chances we had chances. Amazing. First trophy as Liverpool captain, it’s all for the fans so let’s enjoy it.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">“I’m so proud, proud to be part of this club and especially proud of the boys. </span></i><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>All of the young boys playing their part in what we achieved today it’s incredible and on to more.” </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></p> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Narrator: "He was not finished" 😂 <a href="https://t.co/Qp7HB5pBu9">pic.twitter.com/Qp7HB5pBu9</a></p>— Liverpool FC (@LFC) <a href="https://twitter.com/LFC/status/1761841037880721827?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2024</a> </blockquote><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>CloundNine Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14917648140916618835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2715880879737541014.post-20054814097861662622024-02-16T16:28:00.001+01:002024-02-17T07:41:26.556+01:00Liverpool WINS Big, As Diogo Jota And Jurgen Klopp CLINCH The January Premier League Awards.<p>Liverpool have taken home two of the monthly Premier League awards for January, as Diogo Jota and Jurgen Klopp have both won the Player and Manager of the Month awards respectively.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5QPQQHWKlRGRgqANuk4qT3U9gB5Z4DI5muevAP0AfGpFw3odV0IPxqPbjnrEh1MoqkiD1DNWKyok1u5_mQaO_IgOs6en5_SkWy_IY9VW7xkvJEDLZXUDkcYFJQo3E79X9YaM5ZIxqCjWRnuXQaNaz43mF6vSs3ca02kOpaDJplGphUiBYHAb0ePToPD8/s4096/Jota%20Klopp%20Premier%20League%20Awards%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="4096" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5QPQQHWKlRGRgqANuk4qT3U9gB5Z4DI5muevAP0AfGpFw3odV0IPxqPbjnrEh1MoqkiD1DNWKyok1u5_mQaO_IgOs6en5_SkWy_IY9VW7xkvJEDLZXUDkcYFJQo3E79X9YaM5ZIxqCjWRnuXQaNaz43mF6vSs3ca02kOpaDJplGphUiBYHAb0ePToPD8/s320/Jota%20Klopp%20Premier%20League%20Awards%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>The Reds played just three league fixtures last month with FA Cup games against Arsenal, and Norwich City, and EFL Cup games (home and away) against Fulham in the mix, but Klopp's men achieved a perfect tally of nine points from nine to maintain their position at the top of the table.</p><p>Liverpool racked up a sensational 12 goals across their three league fixtures in January, scoring four times against Newcastle United (4-2) at Anfield on New Year's day, (4-0) away at AFC Bournemouth on January 21, and as well as (4-1) at home against Chelsea on January 31. They just conceded three goals along the way.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jota directly contributed to a goal in each of those three fixtures, that is three goals and two assists in three games for Liverpool. He provided an assist as a substitute in the victory over Newcastle, scored twice and set up another againt Bournemouth, and got the scoring under way with a dribble and finish against Chelsea.</p><p>The Portuguese has now been recognised for his feats with a first-ever Premier League Player of the Month award.</p><p><br /></p><p>A hamstring injury had sidelined Jota for the entirety of December but the winger who has subsequently benefitted from Salah's absence through injury and Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) duty, returned with a bang, amassing a total of three goals and two assists last month.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jota saw off competitions from teammate Conor Bradley to take January's prize, as well as Elijah Adebayo (Luton Town), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Gabriel Magalhaes (Arsenal) and Richarlison (Tottenham Hotspur) who were all also shortlisted for the award.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jota becomes the second Liverpool player to win the award this season, following on from Mohamed Salah win in October.</p><p>The attacker is also the first Portuguese player since Cristiano Ronaldo in April 2022 to win the award, and only the second from his nation not representing Manchester United after Deco for Chelsea in August 2008.</p><p><br /></p><p>The former Wolverhampton Wanderers man reacts to winning the award;</p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">“It was a great month for me, for the team and I’m just happy to win this award for the first time,”</span></i> the No.20 reacted.<i><span style="font-family: arial;"> “It’s always nice.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">“The team won – that was most important – but I did a big contribution and I was very happy because I came from [an] injury, so that was special for me to get it done straight away.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">“Things are clicking and you need to take full advantage of that because we all know how it works – sometimes you can’t stop scoring and sometimes it seems like you can’t score.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">“I just want to take the most out of these moments that I’m having and help the team.”</span></i></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGSS7cDuy2und8bMkfEzDYFww9DuDG1Wl4nsPN0pNDM3vJQvBHFZte8h_hpTDZ8_W2ubInFbxA5rfkzPTpW-pLGYDTuAblFabshlWkqxVdsVSGoB9U-VIkaceIvYMXt0BaBbmNO3XvOkpIacwN98b7SlfRV_ei9WfklQyK7rEL9FOYj_WbQtF6ldPY17g/s720/images_GettyImages_mmsport_90min_en_international_web_01hprsxbhv42rm1kq4rt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGSS7cDuy2und8bMkfEzDYFww9DuDG1Wl4nsPN0pNDM3vJQvBHFZte8h_hpTDZ8_W2ubInFbxA5rfkzPTpW-pLGYDTuAblFabshlWkqxVdsVSGoB9U-VIkaceIvYMXt0BaBbmNO3XvOkpIacwN98b7SlfRV_ei9WfklQyK7rEL9FOYj_WbQtF6ldPY17g/s320/images_GettyImages_mmsport_90min_en_international_web_01hprsxbhv42rm1kq4rt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Meanwhile, Jürgen Klopp was also named the Premier League Manager of the Month for January.</p><p>The Liverpool boss was recognised after his side recorded three wins from their three top-flight matches in the month, scoring four goals in each matches.</p><p><br /></p><p>The German who revealed last month that he would be leaving his post at the club at the end of the season, takes home the trophy for the first time since May 2021, having missed out entirely during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns.</p><p><br /></p><p>Klopp saw off competition from Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta, Rob Edwards of Luton Town and Man City's boss Pep Guardiola to land the award.</p><p>It is the 10th time in his Liverpool career Klopp has claimed Manager of the Month.</p><p>He is now level with David Moyes on 10 Manager of the Month prizes, while only Sir Alex Ferguson (27), Arsene Wenger (15) and Pep Guardiola (11) have won the accolade on more occasions.</p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">“December was already [tough] because it was game after game after game, and then more like limping into January, you never know,”</span></i> Klopp said.</p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>“Obviously in that moment Wataru [Endo] and Mo [Salah] left [to international duty], so the boys did incredibly well. We had great results, went through to the [Carabao Cup] final, played exceptional FA Cup games. So it was a really good month, surprisingly good, to be honest.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>“We are Manager of the Month – great!”</i></span></p><p><br /></p><p>He added: <i><span style="font-family: arial;">“You know how influential all the guys around me are. I’m the face of all these kinds of things. I won a few over the years but I’m pretty sure all of my coaches got one to take it home.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">“So we are Manager of the Month, we know that. If that happens – it’s pretty rare – but if that happens you know it’s a good month and a lot of good work behind. So, thank you, guys, again.”</span></i></p><p><br /></p><p>Liverpool now look forward to temporarily restore their five-point lead over Man City at the top of the Premier League standings when they travel to Brentford for Saturday's lunchtime kickoff, and Klopp had a positive update to share on the fitness of Salah ahead of the trip south.</p><p>They also host Luton Town four days later on Wednesday night February 21.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>CloundNine Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14917648140916618835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2715880879737541014.post-47840674123051133572024-02-15T22:23:00.003+01:002024-02-26T10:47:10.095+01:00Latest FIFA Rankings: Nigeria Moved From 42nd To 28th Best Team In The World Despite AFCON 2023 Final Defeat To Host Ivory Coast .<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>The latest FIFA Men's World Ranking has been released on Thursday, 15th February, 2024, and the </span><span>Super Eagles of Nigeria who finished as runners-up at the just concluded African Cup Of Nations (AFCON) 2023, are one of the biggest climbers in the ranking.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGrFbGRzdOf4t8q5m6AxC1a0ZaGCsbat7coZslHe0j8aWggjB2CMf2wCaueX0bQ4INoilxfTPsy9PpMTJT3v5IPl2f0wwjwBtO8o36qYfJumDdk6cBvA87Yf2z11Cd7fxlshh2x3nEqJuvOHEi1n8KjJzp8wCHmNPgZOQYiy8dJNZuKKD84x9ehSC6UKo/s4096/FIFA%20ranking%20February%202024%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="4096" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGrFbGRzdOf4t8q5m6AxC1a0ZaGCsbat7coZslHe0j8aWggjB2CMf2wCaueX0bQ4INoilxfTPsy9PpMTJT3v5IPl2f0wwjwBtO8o36qYfJumDdk6cBvA87Yf2z11Cd7fxlshh2x3nEqJuvOHEi1n8KjJzp8wCHmNPgZOQYiy8dJNZuKKD84x9ehSC6UKo/s320/FIFA%20ranking%20February%202024%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>Despite the Super Eagles</span><span> losing 2-1 to host nation Cote d’Ivoire in the final on Sunday, February 11, Nigeria </span><span>has gone up 14 places in the latest ranking.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>They moved from 42nd to 28th best team in the world, which is the country's highest placement since</span><span> May 2013, when the Eagles were ranked also 28th.</span></span></p><div><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Eagles also moved from the sixth position at the beginning of AFCON to third right now in Africa.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Points are awarded according to the outcomes of all FIFA-recognised full international matches in a points system by the global football body.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirp4JRcNrAg3aSqVDDrAxZ-9v6IDmKCsHWl0Wj1NJUFS6Lj2a5PEAMg0P_Fk9s2pUBVqPQukrCRi8sloPre0qdoNbPp5NClkHsbOaZUYIkwhWNBFa0H2UHI_vixW0mgu9dxHXZrnq8Bo55O-SLzYKNPf6ukhpFIE-ll8V7SoTPRsn9EIxmYBgIcy73XKM/s739/20240212_090848.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="415" data-original-width="739" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirp4JRcNrAg3aSqVDDrAxZ-9v6IDmKCsHWl0Wj1NJUFS6Lj2a5PEAMg0P_Fk9s2pUBVqPQukrCRi8sloPre0qdoNbPp5NClkHsbOaZUYIkwhWNBFa0H2UHI_vixW0mgu9dxHXZrnq8Bo55O-SLzYKNPf6ukhpFIE-ll8V7SoTPRsn9EIxmYBgIcy73XKM/s320/20240212_090848.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Other African countries to experience a huge boost in their rankings globally, are eventual AFCON 2023 winners Ivory Coast who moved ten places from 49th in the world to 39th place.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Angola whom the Super Eagles defeated in the quarter finals, are the biggest climbers by ranks globally, rising up 24 places and are 93rd in the world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Other impressive performers from Africa are Equatorial Guinea moving up nine places to 79th, South Africa who clinched the bronze medal at the concluded AFCON are boosted up eight slots to 58th, Cape Verde, moving up eight places to 65th, Namibia moving up eight places also to 107th, and finally Mali climbing up four places to 47th in the world respectively.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Only Morocco, who are the highest ranked country on the continent, and Senegal (second position) are ahead of Nigeria, despite their disappointing outing at the AFCON tournament.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Egypt and Ivory Coast completes the top five teams in Africa.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Meanwhile, Argentina remained number one in the world while France and Brazil maintained second and third spots, respectively. England and Belgium took the fourth and fifth positions in the ranking.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The next FIFA world ranking will be released on April 4, 2024.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Here are the Top-10 ranked national teams in the World:</b></span></div><ol><li><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Argentina </span></b></li><li><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">France</span></b></li><li><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">England </span></b></li><li><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Belgium </span></b></li><li><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Brazil</span></b></li><li><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Netherlands </span></b></li><li><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Portugal </span></b></li><li><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Spain </span></b></li><li><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Italy</span></b></li><li><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Croatia </span></b></li></ol><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The following are the top 20 African men’s national football teams and their positions in the world .</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">1. 🇲🇦 Morocco: First in Africa, 12th in the world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">2. 🇸🇳 Senegal: Second in Africa, 17th in the world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">3. 🇳🇬 Nigeria: Third in Africa, 28th in the world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">4. 🇪🇬 Egypt: Fourth in Africa, 36th in the world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">5. 🇨🇮 Cote d’Ivoire: Fifth in Africa, 39th in the world</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">6. 🇹🇳 Tunisia: Sixth in Africa, 41st in the world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">7. 🇩🇿 Algeria: Seventh in Africa, 43rd in the world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">8. 🇲🇱 Mali: Eight in Africa, 47th in the world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">9. 🇨🇲 Cameroon: Ninth in Africa, 51st in the world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">10. 🇿🇦 South Africa: 10th in Africa, 58th in the world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">11. 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso: 11th in Africa, 61st in the world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">12. 🇨🇩 DR Congo: 12th in Africa, 63rd in the world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">13. 🇨🇻 Cape Verde: 13th in Africa, 65th in the world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">14. 🇬🇭 Ghana: 14th in Africa, 67th in the world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">15. 🇬🇳 Guinea: 15th in Africa, 76th in the world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">16. 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea: 16th in Africa, 79th in the world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">17. 🇬🇦 Gabon: 17th in Africa, 84th in the world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">18. 🇿🇲 Zambia: 18th in Africa, 87th in the world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">19. 🇺🇬 Uganda: 19th in Africa, 92nd in the world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">20. 🇦🇴 Angola: 20th in Africa, 93rd in the world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>CloundNine Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14917648140916618835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2715880879737541014.post-73001339148011341372024-02-11T23:45:00.005+01:002024-02-12T10:34:06.540+01:00Nigeria Super Eagles WAIT For A Fourth AFCON Title Continues After A 2-1 Defeat To Host Nation Ivory Coast In The 2023 Final.<p>Nigeria’s wait for their fourth Africa Cup of Nations title continues after they narrowly lost 2-1 to host nation Ivory Coast in the final at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Ebimpe, Abidjan, on Sunday night.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy1dJC7O2ulQ48KmvgIl9aQL7BjDDITRFq-FcMllCQe0uYJgUpLAxOvtRaDB2qLd7W3VBbm0NGQ0LfyYUnDhiWayPGRMJJkcHqIclw2uEg4G3zg_q6XlVhdZgWWbHkG1yA21Zc4hwCP3y3E_bljW8U1vOY7Myvw55o5U6q7dWCNKTQv9chO0dlFZohRuU/s4096/Ivory%20Coast%202-1%20Nigeria%20win%20AFCON%20title%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="4096" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy1dJC7O2ulQ48KmvgIl9aQL7BjDDITRFq-FcMllCQe0uYJgUpLAxOvtRaDB2qLd7W3VBbm0NGQ0LfyYUnDhiWayPGRMJJkcHqIclw2uEg4G3zg_q6XlVhdZgWWbHkG1yA21Zc4hwCP3y3E_bljW8U1vOY7Myvw55o5U6q7dWCNKTQv9chO0dlFZohRuU/s320/Ivory%20Coast%202-1%20Nigeria%20win%20AFCON%20title%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>The Super Eagles of Nigeria who entered the tournament in a poor form, became increasingly looking like the most formidable team at the 2023 AFCON tournament.</p><p>Following the exit of other pre-tournament favourites teams, the Super Eagles were the team tipped to claim the trophy for the first time since 2013.</p><p><br /></p><p>At the end of the first half, it appeared the Super Eagles would have lifted the trophy again, after William Troost-Ekong rose highest to head in a corner kick and give Nigeria the lead seven minutes before the break. </p><p>It was the 30-year-old captain's third goal of the tournament, and he has now scored five goals at the AFCON finals. He was also named Player of the Tournament afterwards.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1lt9nMQDxRV1UNvTIztWHbwXzNii-h4Kc-gbtlv41N_1ip9xl40R_fxjfwvnKHzrvvRL-rzlyK28rlot426Sxp0mAvLc-W1iggQTp1TQbRfEayb5-nKMhN9YQtOoU8MiQINcNVsNshduk2OUzqKDUKwjXr_ZG_A69VF_WJ8FUlcPW54s3-KxL7fFu8Fs/s4096/20240211_220145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2611" data-original-width="4096" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1lt9nMQDxRV1UNvTIztWHbwXzNii-h4Kc-gbtlv41N_1ip9xl40R_fxjfwvnKHzrvvRL-rzlyK28rlot426Sxp0mAvLc-W1iggQTp1TQbRfEayb5-nKMhN9YQtOoU8MiQINcNVsNshduk2OUzqKDUKwjXr_ZG_A69VF_WJ8FUlcPW54s3-KxL7fFu8Fs/s320/20240211_220145.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>The Super Eagles were unbeaten in their previous 22 matches in the competition when scoring first, but the hosts hit back just after the hour mark (62mins) as Franck Kessie nodded in Simon Adringa’s corner to score the equaliser.</p><p>Adingra was involved again as the Elephants snatched a dramatic late winner in the 81st minute, the Brighton & Hove Albion winger crossing for Sebastien Haller to prod past Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali at the near post in the delights of the home fans at the 60,000 capacity stadium.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiwyGrzHDCXW7Myo1rJl_r8-C6jJVUO6feNmF2t0IXxIv6G34pN2GMM7RpxF9Z3BVGY_qvzFRHqLfAlhhX-8lo5i-TAbmMWhWNFApwkMxO_ZxcsZ1LnQXYdzIjvjR4r0W5CJbLaUJUzVYVecc1ZEj-dAtRI7MuzSCfpRi4cET6oT4b0xRO9ie0O434NsQ/s770/2024-02-11T220702Z_331797388_UP1EK2B1PFOUY_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-NATIONS-NGA-CIV-REPORT-1707692366.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="770" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiwyGrzHDCXW7Myo1rJl_r8-C6jJVUO6feNmF2t0IXxIv6G34pN2GMM7RpxF9Z3BVGY_qvzFRHqLfAlhhX-8lo5i-TAbmMWhWNFApwkMxO_ZxcsZ1LnQXYdzIjvjR4r0W5CJbLaUJUzVYVecc1ZEj-dAtRI7MuzSCfpRi4cET6oT4b0xRO9ie0O434NsQ/s320/2024-02-11T220702Z_331797388_UP1EK2B1PFOUY_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-NATIONS-NGA-CIV-REPORT-1707692366.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>It was quite a journey for the Ivorians in the tournament, despite losing 4-0 to Equatorial Guinea in the group stages, sacking manager Jean-Louis Gasset mid-tournament and replacing him with assistant Emerse Fae, squeaking past Senegal on penalties in the last 16, grabbing a last-minute equaliser against Mali before edging that quarter-final in extra time,and a 1-0 win against DR Congo in the semi-final courtesy of a lone goal by Haller.</p><p><br /></p><p>Max Gradel receives the trophy from FIFA president Gianni Infantino who made his way from the Asian Cup final on Saturday, Ivory Coast president Alassane Ouattara, and CAF president Patrice Motsepe. Gradel gives the trophy a gentle kiss, as he waited for everyone to assemble, before lifting it high.</p><p>It's the country's THIRD continental title.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtiRujRNRFFlpm3t3N16Iwt1sBC4hty6CRz2v5X7iJG6Ex3V3OqzOcghuNB6LGKMOxg_VpDri_R87iySv8PKQtcg0Y4N4vU3Fs74pMCKWhJPJPOzerxzNDcw662lNdpQI64GKrDsKBvcCyqbySoh6nrlB-ItwFFkQkQVdn4a7SWF6sOw1eqeSZGS9reCo/s739/20240212_090848.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="415" data-original-width="739" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtiRujRNRFFlpm3t3N16Iwt1sBC4hty6CRz2v5X7iJG6Ex3V3OqzOcghuNB6LGKMOxg_VpDri_R87iySv8PKQtcg0Y4N4vU3Fs74pMCKWhJPJPOzerxzNDcw662lNdpQI64GKrDsKBvcCyqbySoh6nrlB-ItwFFkQkQVdn4a7SWF6sOw1eqeSZGS9reCo/s320/20240212_090848.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Caretaker boss Emerse Faé has become the first manager to win the Africa Cup of Nations without starting the tournament as head coach of his team.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nigeria’s players on the other hand, headed up to the stage to collect their runners-up medals. It’s the worst walk in football, to come so close and go away as the second best team.</p><p>Naturally Jose Peseiro's team look deflated and dejected but on the night they were the second best team.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>CloundNine Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14917648140916618835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2715880879737541014.post-77196356751439947942024-02-10T18:54:00.002+01:002024-02-11T08:03:00.007+01:00We Must ‘Leave With No Regrets’ Against Nigeria, Vows Ivory Coast’s Star Sebastien Haller. <p>Ivory Coast forward, Sebastien Haller has warned the Super Eagles that they will face a different Elephants side on Sunday night.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirEhVm9ADSBiiBzt0eIG635t2KMrmkQ1KIoqYY7CP_Km5BfuQz4-XKjmlmqX0gJSKTeb5OIk4JzOb6DU8mFkns-qxLdtkeHnYos6zpGwEg1MMOkhiYSQBShO5CEjrt89zQOoBD8kWybkESky5XI8iRg82P4_73S7C82SDHwmXNWyStLnZjaS_fsDJ5a8A/s4096/Haller%20Ivory%20Coast%20Nigeria%20AFCON%20final%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="4096" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirEhVm9ADSBiiBzt0eIG635t2KMrmkQ1KIoqYY7CP_Km5BfuQz4-XKjmlmqX0gJSKTeb5OIk4JzOb6DU8mFkns-qxLdtkeHnYos6zpGwEg1MMOkhiYSQBShO5CEjrt89zQOoBD8kWybkESky5XI8iRg82P4_73S7C82SDHwmXNWyStLnZjaS_fsDJ5a8A/s320/Haller%20Ivory%20Coast%20Nigeria%20AFCON%20final%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>The two West African giants will clash in the final of the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, at the Alassanne Quattara Stadium, Ebimpe, Abidjan.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Elephants of Cote d'Ivoire, became the first host nation to reach the AFCON final since Egypt in 2006, despite nearly exiting the competition in the group stage after winning 2-0 against Guinea Bissau in the opening game, they narrowly lost 1-0 to Nigeria, before a devastating 4-0 defeat to Equatorial Guinea in the last group game. It was the Ivorians’ heaviest ever at home. </p><p>The results sees them finish third with 3 points in Group A, behind Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria who both finished with 7 points each, which led them to sack head coach Jean-Louis Gasset and replaced him with Emerse Fae.</p><p><br /></p><p>They eventually managed to qualify to qualify as one of the best third-placed teams, and have since then looked like a squad on a mission, having crushed every opponent, beating Senegal on penalties, then overcame Mali in extra time, before Haller’s lone goal secured them a semi-final win against the Democratic Republic of Congo.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcewQ0Opybz6i7OY-9At6gEQpRcfoUunZbimRW5yRis7w9uljpo7YizVpjxcOpM4P-6EJtjFpm5UsZd-c1A5yGFcA70DHuXt1FSiDluB3EhtPcZrnR-tNQWGaPY2QW9e2DjFY2nZhtTOoJQVv4YjbecgTbxXo9mtFS7KMoJItf9TxdjAqQRiyq9g5Y49s/s4096/20240207_232152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2876" data-original-width="4096" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcewQ0Opybz6i7OY-9At6gEQpRcfoUunZbimRW5yRis7w9uljpo7YizVpjxcOpM4P-6EJtjFpm5UsZd-c1A5yGFcA70DHuXt1FSiDluB3EhtPcZrnR-tNQWGaPY2QW9e2DjFY2nZhtTOoJQVv4YjbecgTbxXo9mtFS7KMoJItf9TxdjAqQRiyq9g5Y49s/s320/20240207_232152.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Haller had missed the start of the AFCON due to injury but came back strong in the semi-final which is his first start in the tournament.</p><p>The 29-year-old has overcome testicular cancer and the disappointment of missing the Bundesliga title with Dortmund last season.</p><p><br /></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">"We knew we had the potential to succeed and go far in the competition,"</span></i> Haller said after netting the winner against DR Congo on Wednesday.</p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>"The quality on the field is all over. There were lots of things missing from the start of the competition, and we have been trying to find the things that were missing to perform."</i></span></p><p><br /></p><p>Ivory Coast now attempts to complete the most remarkable of major tournament comebacks by clinching their third continental title when they face the Super Eagles of Nigeria in Sunday's final on home soil.</p><p>When Ivory Coast lifted their second AFCON title back in 2015, they beat Congo in the last four by a 3-1 margin. Yaya Toure, Gervinho, and Serge Kanon scored on that fateful night for The Elephants.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Ivorian star Haller has also urged his team to “leave with no regrets” when they face Nigeria in the final.</p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">“We have made a spectacular recovery,” </span></i>the striker said at a press conference on Saturday.</p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">“We all went through a difficult time after the Equatorial Guinea defeat, but we don’t have much to lose now. We have a second chance, and we need to make sure we leave everything on the field.”</span></i></p><p>Haller added, <i><span style="font-family: arial;">“This experience brought us closer together. We know how close we came to a nightmare ending.</span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>"The game is an advantage to both Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire because we faced each other in the group stage so we know each other well.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>“However, the approach to a knock-out game will be different from a group stage game, </i></span><i><span style="font-family: arial;">I’m expecting a tough game obviously, we also know how the Nigerians play,” </span></i></p><p><br /></p><p>Speaking ahead of the game, the striker admitted that he is under pressure to deliver in front of their fans, and that their fans would play an important role in the final at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Ebimpe, Abidjan.</p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">“Our fans tomorrow will be more than those in the stadium; they will be on the street, at home, in the stadium and everywhere you may think of.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">“I feel the pressure because I am a striker. the strikers most of the time feel the pressure because they have to score. It is going to be a good pressure because you are playing in front of your home fans and I hope this good pressure will bring success to the team.”</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></i></p><p>Meanwhile, Nigeria had defeated the hosts 1-0 earlier in the competition, with captain William Troost-Ekong scoring the decisive goal from the spot in the second half of that encounter.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAUbgtxfxQe0cCuCQp0rjTYY8aO78dgZeAiJ6cLsbs-kEJ5tidfVUgQSckjNQ0VLYwybEPGjZf3L-1cTMKV9vXbqBN_wC2vkTHLS533A_2RIfQvIdcHG2t50JN-yJPWatqBaOciS1DEt3IbCr8KVGNjbdlmrmcveWmT_rsld1dZWTh1urbfvHESgdfkGY/s2495/20240207_200122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2495" data-original-width="2495" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAUbgtxfxQe0cCuCQp0rjTYY8aO78dgZeAiJ6cLsbs-kEJ5tidfVUgQSckjNQ0VLYwybEPGjZf3L-1cTMKV9vXbqBN_wC2vkTHLS533A_2RIfQvIdcHG2t50JN-yJPWatqBaOciS1DEt3IbCr8KVGNjbdlmrmcveWmT_rsld1dZWTh1urbfvHESgdfkGY/s320/20240207_200122.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>The Super Eagles team under head-coach Jose Peseiro, have since then impressed with a solid defensive performance and strong attacking plays.</p><p>Nigeria defeated Cameroon 2-0 in the round of 16 with Ademola Lookman scoring both goals. They went on to defeat Angola 1-0 in the quarter-final still courtesy of Lookman's goal.</p><p><br /></p><p>The semi-final on Wednesday night at Stade Bouaké, seems to be their biggest challenge in this tournament, as centre-back Ekong scored from the spot again after 67 minutes after a Victor Osimhen fall in the box. </p><p>Nigeria thought they had extended their lead when Osimhen scored a second from a counter attack, but VAR brought play back and cancelled the goal as there was a foul by Yusuf Alhassan in the build up.</p><p>The foul happened to be inside the penalty box. Bafana Bafana striker Teboho Mokoena steeped up to take the spot-kick in the 90th-minute and equalised for South Africa.</p><p>Nigeria eventually won the game via penalty shootout 4-2.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>CloundNine Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14917648140916618835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2715880879737541014.post-60011031035871614522024-02-08T19:41:00.005+01:002024-02-08T20:01:15.815+01:00Super Eagles Goalkeeper Nwabali Reacts To His HEROICS Against South Africa In The Semi Final of AFCON 2023. {WATCH}<p>Super Eagles of Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali reacts to his sensational performance at the ongoing Africa Cup Of Nations AFCON 2023 in Cote d'Ivoire.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA1d1O6Ri70AiecrS1dctDBqnDBltSG4DUrDuzcZD5939v8arBqqZxS8kq_8XTD6w7ioZ2k75-vOQXrJtbcctKTpn16k8B_fUkW5L44wM3ZN-RKfeVqHDs2OqIE6sPQMEJaPCY9XWrmURUpgIQb0eJB0b_QohfNjqj-erAoqpmLfI8P9O0i1niL4jJV8Q/s4096/Nwabali%20of%20Super%20Eagles%20man%20of%20match%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="4096" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA1d1O6Ri70AiecrS1dctDBqnDBltSG4DUrDuzcZD5939v8arBqqZxS8kq_8XTD6w7ioZ2k75-vOQXrJtbcctKTpn16k8B_fUkW5L44wM3ZN-RKfeVqHDs2OqIE6sPQMEJaPCY9XWrmURUpgIQb0eJB0b_QohfNjqj-erAoqpmLfI8P9O0i1niL4jJV8Q/s320/Nwabali%20of%20Super%20Eagles%20man%20of%20match%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Nwabali was named as man-of-the-match for his heroics in Nigeria's hard earned victory over South Africa in the semifinal of the Africa's biggest sporting event on Wednesday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Chippa United goalkeeper making his debut in the tournament, played another crucial role yet again as the three-time African champions saw off another rival to continue their quest to win a fourth AFCON title, and the first since 2013.</p><p>Bobo Nwabali made a brilliant save to deny South Africa from taking the lead in the first half and would go on to be the hero saving the day in a tensed penalty shootout following a dramatic 1-1 scoreline at full-time and after the 30 minutes extra-time.</p><p>While the Bafana Bafana boys prevented him from keeping a consecutive fifth clean sheet, he is still yet to concede a goal from open play since Equatorial Guinea forward Iván Salvador's strike beat him in the opening game which they drew 1-1.</p><p><br /></p><p>The first half, though, was goalless, and Nigeria picked it up thereafter, eventually forging in front when captain William Troost-Ekong scored from the penalty spot courtesy of a resulting penalty from Victor Osimhen's fall in the box.</p><p>Then, on 85 minutes, they looked to have sealed the game, as Osimhen finished from a terrific counter. But VAR brought play back to the start of the move, finding that Alhassan Yusuf had fouled Percy Tau, and at the clocked ticked over the 90-minute mark, Teboho Mokoena scored from the spot.</p><p>Both sides pushed for a winner in extra time but neither managed as all efforts was futile.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUhzQlItp5Wi11K15BByY1ldENnEZ5YzQ7xPAs5X6s5Bgw9Yt_XUqC9NYufPcX-w0CFSwChbk43tdTkxFh_vi2u-AD59qhKczz9-r3mbCOqxjMeH3cBoeMROxZRw8KWZjcU-turOh4Ft4qbDQmJ_oNB6ElHDNDhYBlRWyB5Y8LQUG2SttlGWbhPdIJU7s/s464/20240208_192004.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="464" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUhzQlItp5Wi11K15BByY1ldENnEZ5YzQ7xPAs5X6s5Bgw9Yt_XUqC9NYufPcX-w0CFSwChbk43tdTkxFh_vi2u-AD59qhKczz9-r3mbCOqxjMeH3cBoeMROxZRw8KWZjcU-turOh4Ft4qbDQmJ_oNB6ElHDNDhYBlRWyB5Y8LQUG2SttlGWbhPdIJU7s/s320/20240208_192004.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Two brilliant saves from the 27-year-old, saving Teboho Mokoena and Evidence Makgopa's spot kicks helped Nigeria beat South Africa 4-2 in the penalties.</p><p><br /></p><p>Speaking in the post-match conference, Nwabali expressed his delight at winning the best player of the encounter.</p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>"Today, I don't really know how I am feeling but it has been God throughout this tournament, </i></span><i><span style="font-family: arial;">When I look around, because of Nigerians, I only want to make them happy and just make them feel good,” </span></i>Nwabali told reporters. </p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">“I did not even expect this thing to come my way now but I give God the glory and I want to say a very big thank you to everyone, my club, Chippa United family, and my coaches here who always guide me.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">“Today showed me that it’s going to be a D-day for us in the final but you know football, you can never predict but I wish it is going to come our way.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">“They always know this slogan ‘You no go gree for anybody’ and I really want to do more for Nigeria, I love them all. Thank you to everyone who wishes me well.”</span></i></p><p><span><i style="font-family: arial;">"I really appreciate the management and the coaches today, they have really guided me a lot throughout this tournament. </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">The</span><i style="font-family: arial;"> </i></span>former Enyimba player added.</p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>"I feel so happy and I really appreciate my teammate."</i></span></p><p><br /></p><p>The Super Eagles shot-stopper also spoke about the criticism of him not being adequately tested enough in the tournament and as a result, his South Africa counterpart Ronwen Williams should win the Best Goalkeeper award.</p><p><br /></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">"There is no room to talk about criticism because it happens in football.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">"When football go like this, your fans really want more from you. They said these kind of things, I didn't see it as anything. I just see it like a motivation to me to keep working."</span></i></p><p><br /></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Video: Watch how Super Eagles defeated South Africa on penalties <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AhmedMusa?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AhmedMusa</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SouthAfrica?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SouthAfrica</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AFCON2023?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AFCON2023</a> <a href="https://t.co/BImRfURk9F">pic.twitter.com/BImRfURk9F</a></p>— Vanguard Newspapers (@vanguardngrnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/vanguardngrnews/status/1755527234968748329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2024</a></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>The Super Eagles will now face the host country the Elephants of Cote d'Ivoire in the final on Sunday February 11 in Abidjan.</p><p>Ivory Coast who did not start the competition well and only managed to make the knockouts as one of the best losers, defeated DR Congo 1-0 in the second semi-final encounter.</p><p>The final will be a repeat of a group stage match earlier in the tournament. The Super Eagles won that tie 1-0 thanks to a penalty from stand-in captain Troost-Ekong.</p><p><br /></p> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>CloundNine Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14917648140916618835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2715880879737541014.post-29336131529939221072024-02-01T19:23:00.002+01:002024-02-02T14:38:33.501+01:00Asisat Oshoala BIDS Farewell To Barcelona Fémini Side As She Is Set To Join "US" Club Side Bay FC. <p>Asisat Oshoala bids farewell to Barcelona Fémini after five successful years with the Spanish club side.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEithqpgqhpDgttt8TAAlQ0IapsLTfgQB49AaAW6w_FfbjBFLbHxbx-7H3I8PNq5SibE0eLe8NCwcZZa2IxK0ZwsN9jbla-2J3-XzbyM2p1KqQZpKgYT6rjLpDLKZcPZ1PzcgfRjFfk_upTNbfkbXi0SUCwy9cTNS6iXGHdJV_Ia8waEJHbTTphb31QzMKE/s4096/Asisat%20Oshoala%20Joins%20Bay%20FC%20from%20Barca%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="4096" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEithqpgqhpDgttt8TAAlQ0IapsLTfgQB49AaAW6w_FfbjBFLbHxbx-7H3I8PNq5SibE0eLe8NCwcZZa2IxK0ZwsN9jbla-2J3-XzbyM2p1KqQZpKgYT6rjLpDLKZcPZ1PzcgfRjFfk_upTNbfkbXi0SUCwy9cTNS6iXGHdJV_Ia8waEJHbTTphb31QzMKE/s320/Asisat%20Oshoala%20Joins%20Bay%20FC%20from%20Barca%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Oshoala, who was named African Women's Footballer of the Year for a sixth time in December, and two-time Ballon d’Or nominee, left Chinese side Dalian Quanjian in 2019, and joined Barcelona, scoring 117 goals in 162 appearances for the club.</p><p>The Nigeria Super Falcons striker, is the fourth-highest scorer in Barcelona’s history, behind only Alexia Putellas, Jenni Hermoso and Sonia Bermudez. </p><p>Oshoala was one of a number of players whose Barcelona deal expires at the end of the 2023-24 season, with Alexia Putellas, Mariona Caldentey, Lucy Bronze and Sandra Panos all out of contract in the summer.</p><p>During her five years at the Catalan club, she won 13 major trophies; two Champions Leagues, four Liga F titles, three Copa de la Reinas and four Spanish Super Cups.</p><p>She was the first African woman to win a Champions League (UWCL) title in 2021 - having already become the first African woman to score in a final in 2019.</p><p><br /></p><p>Oshoala whose Barca's contract had been set to expire in June, have now signed for American club Bay FC who paid an undisclosed fee.</p><p>The 29-year-old, signed a two-year contract until 2026, with the option of another year with the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) team earlier today.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="vi">It’s Happening‼️‼️‼️<br />Nnọọ, <a href="https://twitter.com/AsisatOshoala?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AsisatOshoala</a>! 🛬🇺🇸<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BayFC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BayFC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeCameToPlay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeCameToPlay</a> <a href="https://t.co/TtoufWi5az">pic.twitter.com/TtoufWi5az</a></p>— Bay Football Club (@wearebayfc) <a href="https://twitter.com/wearebayfc/status/1753106818627420459?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2024</a> </blockquote><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> <i><span style="font-family: arial;">“To have the opportunity to add a player of Asisat’s quality, experience and winning pedigree to our roster is an exciting and important day for the club and the NWSL,”</span></i> said Bay FC general manager Lucy Rushton.</p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;"> “She brings a top-class mentality to the field combined with pace and technical ability that allows her to lead the line, while also giving those players around her the license to be creative and thrive in space. </span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">“Asisat is a proven goal scorer at the most elite levels of world football, and she comes here to continue that with Bay FC.”</span></i></p><p><br /></p><p>Earlier this week Bay FC signed Ghana international Princess Marfo from Danish club FC Nordsjaelland.</p><p>The 20-year-old forward has signed a deal until the end of the 2025 season, with the option of a third year.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Oshoala who previously had spells with English sides Liverpool and Arsenal, has listed three things she would carry with her as she leaves Barca for NWSL, outfit, Bay FC.</p><p>She said this in a lengthy farewell letter to Barcelona’s women football team and fans on Thursday, that she will carry with her the memories, lessons and friendships that she has gained during her time at the club.</p><p><br /></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">“I will carry with me the memories, lessons and friendships that I have gained during my time here,” </span></i>Oshoala’s letter partly read.</p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">“You have become my family and I will be forever grateful for the love and support you have shown me.”</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiau3eXjwgLbUmpVxdm2WfeTR9uRTMhGNoHEICquXGm-irN7I5r0PKpLO2JnWp7kfB9s51dXOwLvR7vR9LLGrj_ManN3oybVSuptcILvF9bZwFMIjjWQRPT1KqnY8TjIC5shnAFtxhTAmSlDOyT96nlLsHtHU0lJKieOM2pujnAbtLeQJmj0-cVLkqpeFc/s1024/GFRdJnLWMAAccpp-699x1024.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="699" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiau3eXjwgLbUmpVxdm2WfeTR9uRTMhGNoHEICquXGm-irN7I5r0PKpLO2JnWp7kfB9s51dXOwLvR7vR9LLGrj_ManN3oybVSuptcILvF9bZwFMIjjWQRPT1KqnY8TjIC5shnAFtxhTAmSlDOyT96nlLsHtHU0lJKieOM2pujnAbtLeQJmj0-cVLkqpeFc/s320/GFRdJnLWMAAccpp-699x1024.webp" width="218" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
CloundNine Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14917648140916618835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2715880879737541014.post-49528316603808454312024-01-31T20:30:00.003+01:002024-02-01T09:18:18.393+01:00Jose Mourinho Is Keen On Man United Return As He Has An Unfinished Business With The Club.<p>Jose Mourinho has been linked with a shock return to Manchester United for a second stint, as he feels he has “unfinished business” at the Premier League club.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhURV-O6GePttwpyxQkb8ap-B8frEZkOQCZzUqCtcFhz09pMxS50TPH77tNoGUBAb2xXUQSMHdaA1yfwAiDbzCA3d0O-Kx5360RrmWWzyvIve6XISZRIYlrh-VMBfhf78i9IlSjppfhjcfXSZuVVA_r6Fzug0M8jAKvjgX3Tgw8XXIeoeLaJT0rcatEo3A/s3840/Mourinho%20set%20to%20return%20to%20Man%20United%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="3840" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhURV-O6GePttwpyxQkb8ap-B8frEZkOQCZzUqCtcFhz09pMxS50TPH77tNoGUBAb2xXUQSMHdaA1yfwAiDbzCA3d0O-Kx5360RrmWWzyvIve6XISZRIYlrh-VMBfhf78i9IlSjppfhjcfXSZuVVA_r6Fzug0M8jAKvjgX3Tgw8XXIeoeLaJT0rcatEo3A/s320/Mourinho%20set%20to%20return%20to%20Man%20United%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Just over five years after he was sacked by the Old Trafford club, The Portuguese manager has made it his mission to have another shot at guiding United back to their glory days if the opportunity were to arise in the future.</p><p><br /></p><p>The 61-year-old, was United's third permanent manager following Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement when he was hired in 2016, replacing Louis van Gaal shortly after the club had won the FA Cup.</p><p>He spent almost two and a half years in charge of United before his sacking in December 2018. He guided the Red Devils to Europa League, Carabao Cup and Community Shield success.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>According to the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-13028777/Jose-Mourinho-eyeing-sensational-return-Manchester-United-Mike-Keegan-tells-Mail-Sports-Kicking-podcast-former-manager-believing-unfinished-business-Old-Trafford.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Daily Mail</span></a>, Mourinho wants to work with United’s new co-owners Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS, who took charge of football operations since purchasing a 25 percent stake in the club.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mourinho is currently out of work after parting ways with Italian club side AS Roma earlier in January this year and is seemingly looking for a way back into football.</p><p><br /></p><p>While Mourinho is eager to return to United, the club is not searching for a new manager at this point.</p><p>It seems unlikely to become reality, at least any time soon, as current boss Erik ten Hag is currently in the second season of a three year contract set to expire in 2025, and he is tasked with guiding them back up the table.</p><p>There is a feeling of optimism among fans that Sir Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS contingent taking control of sporting operations will enable the Dutchman to succeed.</p><p><br /></p><p>Also, many of the players Mourinho criticized following his time at United are still there, with the likes of Anthony Martial, Luke Shaw, Marcus Rashford and Scott McTominay still hanging on at Old Trafford.</p><p><br /></p><p>United are currently sitted ninth in the Premier League and have already crashed out of the Champions League group stage, and the Carabao Cup, meaning their only realistic hope of silverware this season is in the FA Cup in which they say the winner between Bristol City vs Nottingham Forest in the round of 16. </p><p>Ten Hag's team are in action on Thursday when they visit Wolves.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>CloundNine Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14917648140916618835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2715880879737541014.post-63847896890843790222024-01-28T20:34:00.001+01:002024-01-29T02:56:33.731+01:00The 2023/2024 FA Cup Fifth Round Draw Completed. <p>The draw for the 2023/24 FA Cup fifth round has been conducted on Sunday, as teams learn fate going forward.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQVPNqvHr2FJuBMYMNYZ6psbOzRmsAWCE7BiEM1Z3rfBuJ3PBaXEC_CdIt02raRTC87bVSt8bLv6lq0lcCMe4lT-6B05LTrHRG7fqAfDS5SBQeQdRh3p0h3ngj4_HB3I4T7iUG7LSbwiqICP-UisvMX-57bOZron9aunyhlWqTT5YyqhRME6r3NTfA30/s615/FA%20Cup%20draw%20CloudNine%20Sports%20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="615" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQVPNqvHr2FJuBMYMNYZ6psbOzRmsAWCE7BiEM1Z3rfBuJ3PBaXEC_CdIt02raRTC87bVSt8bLv6lq0lcCMe4lT-6B05LTrHRG7fqAfDS5SBQeQdRh3p0h3ngj4_HB3I4T7iUG7LSbwiqICP-UisvMX-57bOZron9aunyhlWqTT5YyqhRME6r3NTfA30/s320/FA%20Cup%20draw%20CloudNine%20Sports%20.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Holders Manchester City are away at Luton Town in an all Premier League clash.</p><p>Pep Guardiola's side won 1-0 at Tottenham on Friday night, before Luton beat Everton 2-1 at Goodison Park later in the weekend.</p><p><br /></p><p>The draw for round-of-16 was made on Sunday afternoon at half-time during Liverpool's 5-2 win over Norwich despite the news that the Reds manager will be stepping down at the end of the season.</p><p>Liverpool will now host either Watford or Southampton at Anfield in the last-16, while the winner between Chelsea and Aston Villa will play the winner between Leeds and Plymouth.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sixth-tier Maidstone United, the lowest-ranked team left in the competition, will travel to either Sheffield Wednesday or Coventry City. </p><p>The winners of the replay between Bristol City and Nottingham Forest face Manchester United, who beat Newport away 4-2 on Sunday.</p><p><br /></p><p>Brighton travel to Wolves and Bournemouth entertain Championship leaders Leicester City at the Vitality stadium.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>FA Cup fifth-round draw in full:</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>Blackburn Rovers or Wrexham 🆚 Newcastle United</p><p>Chelsea or Aston Villa 🆚 Leeds United or Plymouth Argyle</p><p>Bournemouth 🆚 Leicester City</p><p>Liverpool 🆚 Watford or Southampton</p><p>Bristol City or Nottingham Forest 🆚 Manchester United</p><p>Wolverhampton Wanderers 🆚 Brighton & Hove Albion</p><p>Sheffield Wednesday 🆚 Coventry City vs Maidstone United</p><p>Luton Town 🆚 Man City.</p><p><br /></p><p>The FA Cup fifth-round matches will be played during the week commencing February 26, with the final set for May 25 at Wembley.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>CloundNine Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14917648140916618835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2715880879737541014.post-57510587097610192102024-01-26T22:04:00.000+01:002024-01-27T10:17:11.423+01:00Jurgen Klopp Gives REASONS For announcing To QUIT His Role As Liverpool's Manager At The End Of the Season. <p>Jurgen Klopp has announced he is leaving Liverpool at the end of the 2023/2024 season.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJwuTVcxX2umKxfyy9b-adUegBchR9iRQ1ClZ9kR2W3nuFVOeNwCJfEIM2WcCTPlrMiemQTwrRSn2aRl_Lpul91lq73zEtQTRgRb2oUJSrkfIgjiXdp0LzOJBLGyfB-0BA-FTnTFt6qyRqA-QVKDQBieOhWTytc2_itQh7vPmDPEtNHNgNDPcTaCvQS1Y/s4096/Jurgen%20Klopp%20to%20leave%20Liverpool%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="4096" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJwuTVcxX2umKxfyy9b-adUegBchR9iRQ1ClZ9kR2W3nuFVOeNwCJfEIM2WcCTPlrMiemQTwrRSn2aRl_Lpul91lq73zEtQTRgRb2oUJSrkfIgjiXdp0LzOJBLGyfB-0BA-FTnTFt6qyRqA-QVKDQBieOhWTytc2_itQh7vPmDPEtNHNgNDPcTaCvQS1Y/s320/Jurgen%20Klopp%20to%20leave%20Liverpool%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Klopp made his move to the Premier League in October 2015 when he was appointed the Reds’ manager in October 2015, succeeding former boss Brendan Rodgers and now the current longest-serving Premier League manager.</p><p>The German tactician had built his reputation at Borussia Dortmund, winning the Bundesliga title back-to-back in 2011 and 2012, and he took them to the 2013 Champions League final, where they lost to Bayern Munich at Wembley.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since taking over the reins at Anfield, he became became the only Liverpool manager to win six different major trophies which includes the Premier League in 2020, a first top-flight title in 30 years, and the Champions League trophy in Madrid the year before, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup triumphs.</p><p>Liverpool won a domestic cup double in the 2021-22 season, and narrowly missed out on a quadruple as they were pipped by Manchester City on the final day of the Premier League season and lost the Champions League final to Real Madrid in Paris.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Klopp had signed a two-year extension to his contract at Anfield in April 2022, which was scheduled to keep him at the club until 2026.</p><p>The 56-year-old has now informed the club's ownership of his decision to stand down, as he his reportedly "running out of energy" with the Reds now forced to look for a replacement.</p><p>He made the stunning announcement on Friday morning in an emotional video released by the club media LFCTV.</p><p><br /></p><p>He later told a press conference: <i><span style="font-family: arial;">"I've been doing this for 24 years. You invest everything you have. I did that and it was never a problem.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">"I realised that my resources are not endless. I preferred to give absolutely everything to this season and then have a break or to stop. We are no young rabbits any more and we don't jump as high as we did.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">"This club, especially with the team we have and all the super things we have, needs on top of that a manager in his top game and top level. I cannot be that any more. I wish this club for the future the very, very best.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">"I still think it's the right thing to do," he added. I don't take these things lightly. I'm convinced it's right. I have no regrets but a lot of special memories.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">"I can understand that it's a shock for a lot of people in this moment, when you hear it for the first time, but obviously I can explain it - or at least try to explain it.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">"I love absolutely everything about this club, I love everything about the city, I love everything about our supporters, I love the team, I love the staff. I love everything. But that I still take this decision shows you that I am convinced it is the one I have to take."</span></i></p><p><br /></p><p>On his message to Liverpool's supporters Klopp said;</p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">"The message to supporters: I really would like you to accept the decision. That would be nice. And then if I can ask for one more thing, after telling you don't sing my song too early, after telling you be loud in the stadium, stuff like this, if I could ask you for one more thing it would be: don't make these games about me, because there's no need. The only thing I always wanted was the full support for the team, it's not for me.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">"Let's now really go for it. The outside world want to use this decision, laugh about it, want to disturb us. We are Liverpool, we went through harder things together. And you went through harder things before me. Let's make a strength of it. That would be really cool. Let's squeeze everything out of this season and have another thing to smile about when we look back in the future. Thank you."</span></i></p><p><br /></p><p>Klopp has also ruled out coaching another team in England.</p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">"If you ask me, 'Will you ever work as a manager again?' I would say now no," he added. "But I don't know obviously how that will feel because I never had the situation. What I know definitely - I will never, ever manage a different club in England than Liverpool."</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></i></p><p>Klopp has taken in over 460 games as Liverpool boss and boasts a win ratio of 60.7 per cent. He is assured of a standing alongside the likes of Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley when it comes to managerial greats at Anfield.</p><p>His backroom team of Pepijn Lijnders, Peter Krawietz and Vitor Matos are all also set to leave Liverpool at the end of the season.</p><p><br /></p><p>Former Liverpool midfielder and current Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso has been installed as the early frontrunner to replace Klopp.</p><p>Liverpool currently lead the Premier League table, and reached the Carabao Cup final in midweek, while they are still in the Europa League and the FA Cup.</p><p></p><p><br /></p>CloundNine Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14917648140916618835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2715880879737541014.post-33009476383181856982024-01-18T22:12:00.006+01:002024-01-20T06:14:38.186+01:00Victor Osimhen Reacts To The Super Eagles Victory Against Host Nation Ivory Coast In Group A "AFCON" Encounter.<p>Super Eagles of Nigeria talisman Victor Osimhen reacts to the crucial 1-0 victory against the host nation Ivory Coast in their second group game at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 on Thursday night.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ar_fwtIRpKK7HfQ2SpPRGjBy3hK1XSKq8ji_EI_FLGb-4ms_4K8Wxl-k7tT6aYMbkd_WphdwHscSr2elEgGGaP2s7wDckRX_IZOA4Ahd0YYcGdUvMHg0qz8RzkgCZrRBGU-fauGdBjhGVghgCehO7qjH7xH-933oaA-IQgcI8yB7M0j3jjR5VSFW5k0/s4096/Nigeria%201-0%20Ivory%20Coast%20AFCON%202023%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="4096" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ar_fwtIRpKK7HfQ2SpPRGjBy3hK1XSKq8ji_EI_FLGb-4ms_4K8Wxl-k7tT6aYMbkd_WphdwHscSr2elEgGGaP2s7wDckRX_IZOA4Ahd0YYcGdUvMHg0qz8RzkgCZrRBGU-fauGdBjhGVghgCehO7qjH7xH-933oaA-IQgcI8yB7M0j3jjR5VSFW5k0/s320/Nigeria%201-0%20Ivory%20Coast%20AFCON%202023%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>The three-time champions narrowly defeated the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire in a keenly contested encounter at the Alassanne Quattara Stadium in Ebimpe, Abidjan.</p><p>Coming into the game, Nigeria had disappointedly drawn Equatorial Guinea 1-1 in their Group A opener and were under pressure, while Ivory Coast had beaten Guinea Bissau 2-1. </p><p>The Super Eagles were sitting third in the group with one point, as Equatorial Guinea who defeated Guinea Bissau in a goal-fest encounter (4-2) earlier in the day topped the group with four points, while Ivory were second with three points.</p><p><br /></p><p>Under pressure Nigeria head-coach Jose Peseiro desperately needed to get something out of this game, and this led to him making some adjustments in the line-up, a 5-man defensive 3-4-3 formation that included Chippa United goalkeeper Stanley Nwabili, Fulham defender Calvin Bassey who joins William Troost-Ekong and Semi Ajayi in the back three. Zaidu Sanusi and Ola Aina at left and right wing-back respectively.</p><p><br /></p><p>In midfield due to the absence of Yusuf Alhassan who got injured in the first game, was the impressive Brentford midfielder Frank Onyeka sitting in front of the backline to cut off any threat from the Ivorian attack.</p><p>Onyeka played alongside Fulham midfielder, Alex Iwobi, while the attack was Samuel Chukwueze replacing Moses Simon. The AC Milan man joined Ademola Lookman and Osimhen going forward.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz6wAkR2pJawX670qWQJTroscyu4aPzKXwhLqS8D0xvRpKBSUVaPUcyq1pbiNhPv0mIuzHGf8aOLvut65wub_Fjy3cCSGDyxLsrEpWIA5En8jhux1c8yDEnQlEooFkauGOeJN590nrbRw9HzUjfd9E0cu0wdCi13pNc-jqFVCIMVUdKV1yfzxsKEtiEcE/s4096/Troost-Ekong%20Penalty%20Nigeria%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2935" data-original-width="4096" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz6wAkR2pJawX670qWQJTroscyu4aPzKXwhLqS8D0xvRpKBSUVaPUcyq1pbiNhPv0mIuzHGf8aOLvut65wub_Fjy3cCSGDyxLsrEpWIA5En8jhux1c8yDEnQlEooFkauGOeJN590nrbRw9HzUjfd9E0cu0wdCi13pNc-jqFVCIMVUdKV1yfzxsKEtiEcE/s320/Troost-Ekong%20Penalty%20Nigeria%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>With the first-half ending goalless, it took until the 55th minute before PAOK Salonica centre-back, Troost-EKong scored the decisive goal from the penalty spot after Osimhen was adjourned to have been fouled inside the box by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) as referee Mustapha Gorbal had initially ignored the incident.</p><p>With four points from two group games, the win takes the Super Eagles to second behind Equatorial Guinea on goal difference.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxCQew2SxX5vcMh9D5VRmCu86g7xRpD5rPmw7pLs-fwHflQ95fmub8KQ82YIKyEadyx7FswPktemSyVIocy71s31bEzqnRKNu6lz_lLyLGoWhkqxrKF2yqqyLN7Mgtt7OZGrzXMDvOd3b8JOvdyRFPp3OcY2NxCneWuOWylFtY65DDG8SU3Jvs_qXbDE/s897/AFP__20240118__34FU2LJ__v1__Preview__FblCan2024CivNgr-897x598-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="897" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxCQew2SxX5vcMh9D5VRmCu86g7xRpD5rPmw7pLs-fwHflQ95fmub8KQ82YIKyEadyx7FswPktemSyVIocy71s31bEzqnRKNu6lz_lLyLGoWhkqxrKF2yqqyLN7Mgtt7OZGrzXMDvOd3b8JOvdyRFPp3OcY2NxCneWuOWylFtY65DDG8SU3Jvs_qXbDE/s320/AFP__20240118__34FU2LJ__v1__Preview__FblCan2024CivNgr-897x598-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Osimhen, who was named Man of the Match, said the team’s plan was to take over the midfield.</p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">“It was a difficult game. Cote d’Ivoire is a difficult opponent but we got our tactics right today,” </span></i>he told a press conference.</p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">“The plan was to wait for them in midfield and capiltise on their mistakes. Obviously, it worked well for us.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">“This is a big win for us and we have to build on this in our next game.”</span></i></p><p><br /></p><p>The Super Eagles’ are almost certainly in the knockout stages, as their next game is against the Djurtus of Guinea-Bissau who are essentially out of the tournament at the Felix Houphouet Boigny, Stadium, Abidjan next Tuesday.</p><p>Another three points from that encounter could see them top the group, depending on the other group game between Equatorial Guinea and Cote d’Ivoire who are facing the real prospect of getting dumped out of the competition early. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>CloundNine Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14917648140916618835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2715880879737541014.post-6264643509977881692024-01-16T11:15:00.001+01:002024-01-16T12:20:16.333+01:00José Mourinho Has Been FIRED As Manager Of AS Roma.<p>AS Roma has announced that José Mourinho and his coaching staff have left the Serie A club with “immediate effect.”</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmeBjZG0MiMmflWuBhk0KfDNXyMHihu2R2fa8_XLBgTPOhu1J9SMhXn6vwfNNjZws_HeTflesO25eMGVB_NuFnJBKmMLk3nyE-JmYtL2z2vlWruTp0qVwEFS-cLMIEqcRXZebXY2a-XiL0Iwh_GzdEB27wnqC1UQ-a47BWqtkhshGIq9x4Yp_CBu8MKkM/s1078/AS%20Roma%20Sacks%20Jose%20Mourinho%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="643" data-original-width="1078" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmeBjZG0MiMmflWuBhk0KfDNXyMHihu2R2fa8_XLBgTPOhu1J9SMhXn6vwfNNjZws_HeTflesO25eMGVB_NuFnJBKmMLk3nyE-JmYtL2z2vlWruTp0qVwEFS-cLMIEqcRXZebXY2a-XiL0Iwh_GzdEB27wnqC1UQ-a47BWqtkhshGIq9x4Yp_CBu8MKkM/s320/AS%20Roma%20Sacks%20Jose%20Mourinho%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Mourinho was appointed Roma coach in May 2021 and guided the Italian team to a Europa Conference League final win a year later. He also reached the Europa League final but lost on penalties to Sevilla last year.</p><p><br /></p><p>Following the 3-1 defeat against AC Milan on Sunday, Roma is ninth in the Serie A table, 22 points behind leaders Inter Milan. They have won 13 games, 9 losses, and 6 draws in 28 games this season.</p><p>The Giallorossi are five points off Serie A's final Champions League qualifying spot and last week were knocked out of the Coppa Italia by city rivals Lazio, where Mourinho was sent off. His contract was due to expire in June.</p><p><br /></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">“We would like to thank José on behalf of all of us at AS Roma for his passion and efforts since his arrival at the club,” </span></i>said Dan and Ryan Friedkin – the club’s owners – in a statement</p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">“We will always have great memories of his tenure at Roma, but we believe that an immediate change is in the best interests of the club.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">“We wish José and his assistants all the best in their future endeavours.”</span></i></p><p><br /></p><p>Mourinho is one of the most well known and successful managers in the game and has previously coached the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Porto.</p><p><br /></p><p>The 60-year-old has won an European trophy with the club he has managed except for Tottenham, and Roma’s Europa Conference final victory was the 26th trophy he has won in his managerial career. He has also won two Champions Leagues, a Europa League and a UEFA Cup.</p><p>The role at Roma was the second time Mourinho had worked in Italy. When he was Inter Milan coach – between 2008-2010 – in his final season Mourinho guided the team to a remarkable treble – the Serie A title, the Coppa Italia and the Champions League.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to reports, an agreement with former Roma captain De Rossi to take over is being finalised. De Rossi will take charge until June, with the club having an option to renew his contract based on achievements and results.</p><p>Former Brighton and Chelsea boss Graham Potter, as well as Antonio Conte, were also considered for the role.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>CloundNine Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14917648140916618835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2715880879737541014.post-68303414038541683592024-01-15T22:47:00.000+01:002024-01-16T01:03:48.492+01:00FIFA Best Awards 2023: Messi Beats Haaland And Mbappe To Win The Best Men's Player. [Full list of winners]<p>Lionel Messi has won The Best FIFA Men's Player award for 2023.</p><p>The Argentine beat Manchester City sensational Erling Haaland, who scored an astonishing 52 goals last season in a treble-winning campaign, and former PSG team-mate Kylian Mbappe.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA-m3KI-LV6Uw4PfHypsKrABgbFM4ZA_ZBWb1-3aNDdzqwuGkysFXqUMwi-MrsERPyQsuO5OriGWzEX3u6ZZDN2vHoXhRXKgUoo0KRauS6-__38qnSKNdjYdScj56jaz6j6EiKJDOsYDrZYoXAnAu0K82p_GR9zPuxjTFQcausrs6AoQ7nCt28Ef22cKY/s1281/Messi%20beat%20Haaland,%20Mbappe%20win%20The%20Best%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="654" data-original-width="1281" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA-m3KI-LV6Uw4PfHypsKrABgbFM4ZA_ZBWb1-3aNDdzqwuGkysFXqUMwi-MrsERPyQsuO5OriGWzEX3u6ZZDN2vHoXhRXKgUoo0KRauS6-__38qnSKNdjYdScj56jaz6j6EiKJDOsYDrZYoXAnAu0K82p_GR9zPuxjTFQcausrs6AoQ7nCt28Ef22cKY/s320/Messi%20beat%20Haaland,%20Mbappe%20win%20The%20Best%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>This year's event took place at the Hammersmith Apollo in London with a host of the best players past and present in attendance.</p><p>Messi who did not attend the award ceremony on Monday night, as well as the other two finalists, emerges a surprise winner of the award, given the voting period did not include the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, when he sensationally led Argentina to the trophy.</p><p><br /></p><p>A mixture of votes from national team managers and captains, journalists and fans on Fifa's website - with each counting for 25% - were used to decide the winners.</p><p>The timeline for the award was between Dec. 19, 2022 -- the day after Messi led Argentina to win the World Cup in Qatar -- and Aug. 20, 2023.</p><p>During the period that applies to the award, Messi scored nine goals in 21 matches for Paris Saint-Germain and won the Ligue 1 title, before leaving the French club in the summer after the end of his contract.</p><p>He was heavily linked with a return to his former club Barcelona, but he decided moved to the Major League Soccer (MLS), joining Inter Miami, and reportedly shunning a big money move to Saudi Arabia in the process.</p><p><br /></p><p>Messi was part of the Inter Miami team that won the inaugural Leagues Cup in the United States, and also scored 11 times in 14 matches with his new team.</p><p>For the national team, he has five goals in three games in the voting period and is currently preparing for the return of MLS this year.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtXRj2P4eUb5efvpfOC76tuSuKmFYYmRQI3HEfIjzVmuywKGhEVsYU0mevA1xpMCJTVYAUX4BHPqZ6Qax0M2EpCtcygFebpfUwO69aGeG2EceVOY0gsyXNSVKvFlD6b1EWIaGbqFTX9u1HWmnQx-9Fm1kBCSopwOTceCymW5yPqBpbUoJO7S8JE9INHHU/s750/GOAL_-_Multiple_Images_-_3_Split_-_Facebook(8).webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="750" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtXRj2P4eUb5efvpfOC76tuSuKmFYYmRQI3HEfIjzVmuywKGhEVsYU0mevA1xpMCJTVYAUX4BHPqZ6Qax0M2EpCtcygFebpfUwO69aGeG2EceVOY0gsyXNSVKvFlD6b1EWIaGbqFTX9u1HWmnQx-9Fm1kBCSopwOTceCymW5yPqBpbUoJO7S8JE9INHHU/s320/GOAL_-_Multiple_Images_-_3_Split_-_Facebook(8).webp" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Man City's Erling Haaland was a huge favourite to win the award after enjoying an exceptional 2023, winning the quadruple last year (Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, and the World Club Cup) under Pep Guardiola in his first season at the Etihad Stadium.</p><p>In his debut Premier League campaign, he crushed the goalscoring record with 36 goals in 35 appearances, while he bagged an astonishing 52 goals in all competitions.</p><p>France's Mbappe, like Messi, won the Ligue 1 title with PSG, and clinched a fifth consecutive Golden Boot.</p><p><br /></p><p>Messi and Haaland finished on the same amount of points, with Messi getting the award as he had more first-place nominations from national team captains.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX3CTD1Kxio9rtyCU9RU0uSaNWv18HcJsag5D2zZ64CCxGAvoKYC_xsl79bbPn33B83HB0A8nWpBaoHTf_q5z8I7zptHulAhN8yZcCVQ_QQzTFBGZUWigzDJN2VQ93QKPmOD7jGT-rLtz2eo_eGGWFohyBG7LsJ8tuv4mcoCJk8-dEfBAACbPUCEd32kc/s680/IMG-20240115-WA0570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="680" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX3CTD1Kxio9rtyCU9RU0uSaNWv18HcJsag5D2zZ64CCxGAvoKYC_xsl79bbPn33B83HB0A8nWpBaoHTf_q5z8I7zptHulAhN8yZcCVQ_QQzTFBGZUWigzDJN2VQ93QKPmOD7jGT-rLtz2eo_eGGWFohyBG7LsJ8tuv4mcoCJk8-dEfBAACbPUCEd32kc/s320/IMG-20240115-WA0570.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>This is the third time Messi would be winning the award, after respectively doing so in 2019 and 2022 since this format of the awards began in 2016.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>In other award categories</b>, Man City manager Pep Guardiola wins the Men's coach of the year which was the first award of the night. The Spaniard won it ahead of Luciano Spalletti and Simone Inzaghi.</p><p>Spalletti guided Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years with a record-equalling five games to spare, while Inzaghi was nominated after winning the Coppa Italia with Inter Milan and taking them to the Champions League final, where they lost 1-0 to Manchester City.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>The Men's team of the year (FIFPRO XI) consists of: </b></p><p>Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), </p><p>John Stones, Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva (all Manchester City), </p><p>Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid),</p><p>Kevin de Bruyne and Erling Haaland (both Man City), </p><p>Kylian Mbappe (PSG), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) and Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid).</p><p><br /></p><p><b>The Puskas award</b> (named after Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskas) is an award handed out to the player that had scored the best goal in the year which is decided by pundits.</p><p>Brazilian Guilherme Madruga, who plays for second-tier Brazil side Botafogo clinched the award after a spectacular 25-yard overhead kick, beating Brighton's midfielder Julio Enciso spectacular long-range strike in the Seagulls' 1-1 draw at home against Manchester City on 23 May.</p><p><br /></p><p>FIFA Best Awards winners</p><p>Men's player: Lionel Messi</p><p>Women's player: Aitana Bonmati</p><p>Men's coach: Pep Guardiola</p><p>Women's coach: Sarina Wiegman</p><p>Men's goalkeeper: Ederson</p><p>Women's goalkeeper: Mary Earps</p><p>Puskas Award: Guilherme Madruga</p><p>Men's world XI: Six Manchester City players included</p><p>Women's world XI: England Lionesses with seven representatives</p><p>Fair Play: Brazil men's national team for efforts fighting racism</p><p>Fan award: Father who bottle-fed newborn son at match in Argentina</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>CloundNine Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14917648140916618835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2715880879737541014.post-71855365309042939332024-01-14T23:09:00.006+01:002024-01-15T01:26:37.744+01:00Vinicius Jr Scores HATTRICK in Real Madrid 4-1 El Clasico Spanish Super Cup Final Demolition Over Barcelona. {WATCH HIGHLIGHTS}<p>Real Madrid defeats bitter fierce rivals Barcelona 4-1 to lift their 13th Spanish Super Cup on Sunday night.</p><p>The game which took place at the Al Nassr's King Saud University Stadium, Riyadh in Saudi Arabia where Cristiano Ronaldo currently plays, saw Vinicius Jr scoring a sensational hattrick.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_qV8rrkDfVxo3mkB_XSVnqrBbjHAT_xlXs5h7p2radLs1mHSOhw1_1p47VNuqNziKVBi4Pc4YuhEf1TByBGsSU_80G0uQXGebm4aUKoUBkITaKdBlTFsI1xXkQkJgEEv39ssdeAA9HbvI9bfSYRV35fKFXFyMv_GWpIZk36W-H84_T7vCM_z0VBm9eGI/s4096/Vinicius%20Jr%20Hattrick%20against%20Barcelona%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="4096" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_qV8rrkDfVxo3mkB_XSVnqrBbjHAT_xlXs5h7p2radLs1mHSOhw1_1p47VNuqNziKVBi4Pc4YuhEf1TByBGsSU_80G0uQXGebm4aUKoUBkITaKdBlTFsI1xXkQkJgEEv39ssdeAA9HbvI9bfSYRV35fKFXFyMv_GWpIZk36W-H84_T7vCM_z0VBm9eGI/s320/Vinicius%20Jr%20Hattrick%20against%20Barcelona%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Vinicius came into the game with just three goals in 15 previous Clasicos and an idea that Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo had often had the better of their personal duels. He has also had a frustrating season with injuries and has not scored for Madrid since November.</p><p>The Brazilian forward, changed the story, as he scored twice early on as Real made a fast start.</p><p><br /></p><p>With just seven minutes into the encounter, Vinicius excellent first touch from Jude Bellingham’s pass put him into space and he showed composure and class to round goalkeeper Inaki Pena and finish into the net, celebrating the opener with Cristiano Ronaldo's famous 'SIU' goal celebration.</p><p>His second goal was not such a difficult finish, with Dani Carvajal and Rodrygo having done most of the work, but Vinicius Jr still had to be there and get the ball over the line in the 10th minute, doubling the lead for Los Blancos.</p><p><br /></p><p>Barcelona hit back through Robert Lewandowski's fine finish, as he reduced the deficit in the 33rd minute with a strike on the rebound.</p><p>But Vinicius sealed his hat-trick before half-time to restore the two-goal lead in the 39th minute after his movement and intelligence forced Araujo to pull him back in the penalty area, he converted the spot-kick with supreme confidence.</p><p><br /></p><p>It was the fastest hat-trick scored by any Madrid player in a Clasico since 1951, and only the fifth hat-trick scored in the fixture this century. </p><p>Vinicius also becomes the first Brazilian player to score a hat-trick against Barcelona for Real Madrid. He is also the first player to score a Clasico hat-trick in the Supercopa de Espana.</p><p><br /></p><p>Rodrygo then strucked Real's fourth goal from a rebound in the 64th minute, guiding home a fine low shot from 13 yards.</p><p>The goal was a hammer blow for Barcelona who were dominated in the second half of this El Clasico final.</p><p>Last year's Supercopa de Espana champions could not handle Vinicius and ended the contest with 10 men after Araujo was sent off for a second booking in the 71st minute following two fouls on the Brazilian.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju3jzsVyDQVYXEtjDddwEZ-MCw70mn5BhujUsvgTqovlZLXb4CvwXbKN5_CiJ9wpySttYJUZGDPb0hKAb48I8PQ8QZxWjl4Oj49DqwUJzfQGaTbSqSFKWtWd_VxSbXpViBUfhPRGz0tpXbWVz2mO1HFC1mCMVYjAJcjqMyIJapRkjdo3A_gJ_KQ4y-t-o/s1920/20240115_012600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju3jzsVyDQVYXEtjDddwEZ-MCw70mn5BhujUsvgTqovlZLXb4CvwXbKN5_CiJ9wpySttYJUZGDPb0hKAb48I8PQ8QZxWjl4Oj49DqwUJzfQGaTbSqSFKWtWd_VxSbXpViBUfhPRGz0tpXbWVz2mO1HFC1mCMVYjAJcjqMyIJapRkjdo3A_gJ_KQ4y-t-o/s320/20240115_012600.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Victory gives Madrid a 13th Super Cup success, one behind Barcelona's record 14 wins.</p><p>Barca have now lost both of their matches against Real Madrid so far this season, and are only have one more El Clasico opportunity to redeem themselves before the summer which comes on April 21 in a La Liga match at the Bernabeu.</p><p><br /></p><p>Speaking after the game Barcelona boss Xabi said; <i><span style="font-family: arial;">"We have not shown the level required for a match like this.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">"We played our worst game. We weren't comfortable at any point. Madrid hurt us on the counter. I apologise to the fans because it was hard for us to compete and we showed our worst side."</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></i></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">🍿 The HIGHLIGHTS & GOALS you need in your life rn.<br /><br />🆚 <a href="https://twitter.com/realmadriden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RealMadriden</a> 4-1 <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FCBarcelona</a><br />🏆 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SUPERCAMPEONES?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SUPERCAMPEONES</a> <a href="https://t.co/lAiWuePz2P">pic.twitter.com/lAiWuePz2P</a></p>— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) <a href="https://twitter.com/realmadriden/status/1746668518186373161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2024</a></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>CloundNine Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14917648140916618835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2715880879737541014.post-77020962328107692312024-01-08T21:02:00.004+01:002024-01-08T21:33:42.519+01:00BREAKING: Victor Boniface Is OUT Of The Super Eagles Squad For AFCON 2023.<p>Victor Boniface has been ruled out of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations with a groin injury.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZx0MRQXI6bMY0vugRbvVwX7PbgerD8Y9DnyXb4N40qOcCbSGbnM8SL-yHZfs72KIt8yNiNhcJgwFfBuXQ66ZAPS7fcrtA3i5xrpU8qo_jiMYz-2cNNaxO19RxIMsxkxXoApU_htPgek4Sjze7Fekwwq8HJdp9f2oDvfDFZpRocSWcqPZUUHrXb6XRjKI/s1000/Victor%20Boniface%20out%20of%20AFCON%20injury%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="1000" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZx0MRQXI6bMY0vugRbvVwX7PbgerD8Y9DnyXb4N40qOcCbSGbnM8SL-yHZfs72KIt8yNiNhcJgwFfBuXQ66ZAPS7fcrtA3i5xrpU8qo_jiMYz-2cNNaxO19RxIMsxkxXoApU_htPgek4Sjze7Fekwwq8HJdp9f2oDvfDFZpRocSWcqPZUUHrXb6XRjKI/s320/Victor%20Boniface%20out%20of%20AFCON%20injury%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>The in-form Bayer Leverkusen forward is expected to return to Germany, where he will begin treatment for the injury which is expected to keep him out of action for six weeks.</p><p>Boniface has enjoyed a blistering start to life for Leverkusen, with 16 goals and 8 assists in 23 games for the German side which saw him won the Bundesliga rookie of the month award three straight times. </p><p><br /></p><p>He was set to partner the current African Player of the Year Victor Osimhen in the Super Eagles squad going forward for the AFCON set to begin this weekend in Abidjan.</p><p><br /></p><p>The 23-year-old sustained the injury during one of the team’s training sessions in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsveWxIjnYBRlr_BVzn03H0ETAP57HW6WgxpZsSX66XvZLfEE_8L5Pf-RUhbd-AAfjvYZrqSAgMz8Dl82DLEXH1gZH6pK3FvxjQ_4_t7sFJp91v9rQjn3yjwfJfmlDVtHNQ7wf9t_PwwNEFIgE_CyDUH4EfaLK2qe2YV2Q_K_M-B-rXZF3ikxtybMBbHA/s604/20240108_192414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="291" data-original-width="604" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsveWxIjnYBRlr_BVzn03H0ETAP57HW6WgxpZsSX66XvZLfEE_8L5Pf-RUhbd-AAfjvYZrqSAgMz8Dl82DLEXH1gZH6pK3FvxjQ_4_t7sFJp91v9rQjn3yjwfJfmlDVtHNQ7wf9t_PwwNEFIgE_CyDUH4EfaLK2qe2YV2Q_K_M-B-rXZF3ikxtybMBbHA/s320/20240108_192414.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>A decision is expected to be made on his replacement soon.</p><p>OGC Nice forward Terem Moffi is favoured to replace him in the 25-man squad.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meanwhile, The Super Eagles shockinglyost 2-0 to Guinea Syli Stars in a final 2023 AFCON warm-up game played behind closed doors today at the Bani Yas Stadium in Dubai.</p><p>Greece-based midfielder Aguibou Camara scored the opener for Guinea in the 14th minute, before young Bastia striker Facinet Conte doubled the lead in the 64th minute.</p><p><br /></p><p>A big moment for the Super Eagles in the game was when Sadiq Umar was brought down inside the box on his way to goal, but Moses Simon failed to draw Nigeria level in the 20th minute, as the Guinea goalkeeper saved his penalty kick.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Super Eagles fired 12 goals past Al Gharib of Dubai 12-0 in a training match Sunday afternoon only for them to come crashing down the following day.</p><p><br /></p><p>Coach Jose Peseiro gave goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali and midfielder Alhassan Yusuf their Super Eagles debut, while Napoli striker Victor Osimhen was rested as a strikers’ crisis has now hit the team.</p><p>Nigeria begin their battle for a fourth African crown when when they play Equatorial Guinea in their first game of the AFCON tournament on January 14.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>CloundNine Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14917648140916618835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2715880879737541014.post-53393168642937920542024-01-06T22:10:00.002+01:002024-01-06T22:10:36.573+01:00Timo Werner Set To Return To The Premier League After Nightmare Spell At Chelsea.<p>RB Leipzig striker, Timo Werner looks set for a shock return to the Premier League as Tottenham Hotspur are willing to sign him on loan.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTS2p7b64XgeWg1eX_I_rfj28N_KtXxKLAwuOY30r9R_dsu3YFYAVBnV1-mMJqXjmGOdp9A0daggtz8TvfWIooxqwpHaqfg4FcmsPtOR8VfRjP0CRN9GZsBfs6K0B5iTHd8Fw8oHNFL9YJI3VojRPtiF_GPPwpKAdy30jXG77cGqPdSF9m5M1aGBMwsQw/s2048/Timo%20Werner%20Tottenham%20loan%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1296" data-original-width="2048" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTS2p7b64XgeWg1eX_I_rfj28N_KtXxKLAwuOY30r9R_dsu3YFYAVBnV1-mMJqXjmGOdp9A0daggtz8TvfWIooxqwpHaqfg4FcmsPtOR8VfRjP0CRN9GZsBfs6K0B5iTHd8Fw8oHNFL9YJI3VojRPtiF_GPPwpKAdy30jXG77cGqPdSF9m5M1aGBMwsQw/s320/Timo%20Werner%20Tottenham%20loan%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Timo Werner is best known in England for his time with Chelsea, where he won the UEFA Champions League, after joining the Blues from Leipzig in 2020 for a cost of around £45 million, but with an underwhelming spell of just 23 goals in 89 appearances he failed to meet most expectations.</p><p><br /></p><p>He then rejoined his former side in 2022, costing approximately £20m less for the Bundesliga team.</p><p>However, he has since struggled to recreate the form of his first spell with Leipzig when he scored 95 goals in 159 appearances, with his second tenure returning 18 goals in 54 games.</p><p><br /></p><p>Werner has featured just eight times for Leipzig in the Bundesliga this season, scoring two goals, and his current contract runs until the summer of 2026.</p><p>He had been linked with a move to Manchester United and other Premier League sides as it was rumoured that he was unsettled in Germany and wanted a return to England.</p><p>Erik ten Hag reportedly eyed a striker to offer support to Rasmus Hojlund, who has scored just one league goal this season.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0IgButeN-S_o-a4fInZmHE9Wef3b7rpVMOOiUb64tShLKm3KjXwaSCFcm4zEA_1gbg-MPaRy0WAdFZhShliSPNsc50dF6zee2PkUyTbtNLlsbCOccAc-gN8TZ2RaGcK0f7cNCXzxMQYDd4ATBlprzsA3HremvOXkCS21qCWetV02mwqRWd-vCkg5diA/s810/0_Werner.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="539" data-original-width="810" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0IgButeN-S_o-a4fInZmHE9Wef3b7rpVMOOiUb64tShLKm3KjXwaSCFcm4zEA_1gbg-MPaRy0WAdFZhShliSPNsc50dF6zee2PkUyTbtNLlsbCOccAc-gN8TZ2RaGcK0f7cNCXzxMQYDd4ATBlprzsA3HremvOXkCS21qCWetV02mwqRWd-vCkg5diA/s320/0_Werner.webp" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Tottenham are now keen having agreed on a deal to bring the German forward to north London on a six-month loan (until end of the season), with an option to buy him permanently for around £13m to £17m.</p><p>According to <a href="https://theathletic.com/5182840/2024/01/06/timo-werner-transfer-news-tottenham/"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">reports</span></a>, the north Londoners will cover the striker's full wages for the rest of the campaign. </p><p><br /></p><p>The 27-year-old will become Spurs' first signing of the January transfer window, and he is set to bolster Ange Posteceglou's options in attack for the second half of the season. </p><p>With club captain Son Heung-min unavailable for selection for the next few weeks due to the Asian Cup with South Korea, and with Ivan Perisic and Eric Dier reportedly looking set to leave the club in January, it is no surprise that Tottenham are looking to strengthen their squad, so Werner's arrival comes at the perfect time for the club.</p><p><br /></p><p>Posteceglou's side were far from their best in the final third going forward against Burnley in the FA Cup game on Friday, with only a wonder strike form defender Pedro Porro saving them from a replay.</p><p>Werner is expected to fly to London in the next 24 hours to complete his return to the Premier League.</p><p><br /></p><p>Leipzig manager Marco Rose has confirmed the German's departure, citing that the striker sought more game time ahead of the European Championship this summer (Euro 2024). </p><p>Speaking to Sky Germany, Rose, who has previously managed Borussia Monchengladbach and Dortmund, said; </p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>"It's right that Timo wants to go on loan, as he would like to go to the European Championship. We wish him all the best and are keeping our fingers crossed for him."</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p><br /></p><p>, </p>CloundNine Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14917648140916618835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2715880879737541014.post-69177345520147196562024-01-03T08:58:00.000+01:002024-01-04T09:09:52.257+01:00PSG Kick-off 2024 With A Trophy, As They Clinch A Record-Extending 12th Trophee des Champions Title.<p> Paris Saint-Germain defeats Toulouse 2-0 on Wednesday night to clinch a record extending 12th Trophee des Champions title.</p><p>It is manager Luis Enrique's first piece of silverware in charge of the Parisiens.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdL5b9UK35sxzVba70R-EvMA8y9UD9f1aryrlinaIpzu4XdwjldvGZH8W-P2nNnPSuc4Ug3jHEwSY7QPVYDJdLC8dvvg31VC1PhjD_Zn3F1SqycOf6PwsCDOGSjUZjqiJiu3yNg0x5SkCLt3rLts3Y2HW7UDcUr7bX-GC9vNRyVAJrtpZ8A4ioL7ptjn4/s4096/PSG%20wins%20first%20trophy%20in%202024%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="4096" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdL5b9UK35sxzVba70R-EvMA8y9UD9f1aryrlinaIpzu4XdwjldvGZH8W-P2nNnPSuc4Ug3jHEwSY7QPVYDJdLC8dvvg31VC1PhjD_Zn3F1SqycOf6PwsCDOGSjUZjqiJiu3yNg0x5SkCLt3rLts3Y2HW7UDcUr7bX-GC9vNRyVAJrtpZ8A4ioL7ptjn4/s320/PSG%20wins%20first%20trophy%20in%202024%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>PSG started the game in exactly the manner that you would expect and it took them just three minutes to open the scoring at the Parc des Princes and did so in style after a great ball from Vitinha found Ousmane Dembele on the right wing who went to the byline and pulled it across the box where Lee Kang-in was waiting to place it into the bottom corner.</p><p>He looked thrilled to have scored on a cup final for his new team, and it set the tone for the rest of the evening.</p><p>PSG continued their dominance until the latter stages of the first-half when Mbappe doubled the lead in the 44th minute with a fine individual effort, having raced past three Toulouse defenders and brilliantly fired past the goalkeeper into the far corner.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeyCeqfN8RtSNYUntVXghH9Bma_GNA3IQqh-ZZJiR5OC_ZhyphenhyphenyW2RVQ1KCC1iOTdBPcZzy47hERlRo3jsVBiSHXgEjUNKt5k-p-40NW5XZEBe38-7mvXmxk-Uswp0mRBSMHai5v2sQCGBtN0CpEcxsEKw4HbXjVO07__Pszb25lldhbsHdsT3l9sx5HOmo/s414/17043171563391.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="414" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeyCeqfN8RtSNYUntVXghH9Bma_GNA3IQqh-ZZJiR5OC_ZhyphenhyphenyW2RVQ1KCC1iOTdBPcZzy47hERlRo3jsVBiSHXgEjUNKt5k-p-40NW5XZEBe38-7mvXmxk-Uswp0mRBSMHai5v2sQCGBtN0CpEcxsEKw4HbXjVO07__Pszb25lldhbsHdsT3l9sx5HOmo/s320/17043171563391.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Toulouse began the second-half a more determined side, and were the better team in the half but were unable to turn that into a goal, with PSG holding on to secure the victory. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>It is PSG's record 12th Trophee des Champions victory, and they will hope the first of many trophies the team win this season. </p><p>The Parisians are five points clear atop Ligue 1, and will play Real Sociedad in the UEFA Champions League last 16, and start their Coupe de France campaign against sixth-tier Revel on Sunday.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>WATCH HIGHLIGHTS!</b></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">📺 HIGHLIGHTS<br /><br />Relive the 2️⃣ goals and all the highlights of our 12th Trophée des Champions at the Parc des Princes! 🏆❤️💙<br /><br />⚽️ Lee Kang-In<br /><br />⚽️ Kylian Mbappé<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TDC2023?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TDC2023</a> I <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PSGTFC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PSGTFC</a> <a href="https://t.co/P19Qaeacs9">pic.twitter.com/P19Qaeacs9</a></p>— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) <a href="https://twitter.com/PSG_English/status/1742685726284865617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2024</a></blockquote><p><br /></p><p> </p> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
CloundNine Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14917648140916618835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2715880879737541014.post-11381763290298407552024-01-01T16:42:00.002+01:002024-01-01T16:42:32.435+01:00Man United Completes First January Transfer, As Van De Beek Joins Frankfurt On A Loan Deal With An Option To Buy. <p> Manchester United have officially confirmed on Monday (New Year's Day that midfielder Donny van de Beek has completed his loan move to Eintracht Frankfurt.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilLatBB_8yKXdTmM5sfcfPHzFFptgzFeYMnPF09NVc_Bq7aKWe2GPlJ8iFru5ZgpfQ_eP8wuWCNX1QSiRuQEnh5lseOyK9wyiF_0nBYF1ROU_j7HNNqSRGpkgLxSjKAXU93aQno3bn5Tanmnw27Q9JUggtoLRWLS2Eh2aXEpJpbUtbmW_8pxIZF6-Xmlo/s4096/Van%20De%20Beek%20Joins%20Frankfurt%20fro%20Man%20Utd%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="4096" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilLatBB_8yKXdTmM5sfcfPHzFFptgzFeYMnPF09NVc_Bq7aKWe2GPlJ8iFru5ZgpfQ_eP8wuWCNX1QSiRuQEnh5lseOyK9wyiF_0nBYF1ROU_j7HNNqSRGpkgLxSjKAXU93aQno3bn5Tanmnw27Q9JUggtoLRWLS2Eh2aXEpJpbUtbmW_8pxIZF6-Xmlo/s320/Van%20De%20Beek%20Joins%20Frankfurt%20fro%20Man%20Utd%20CloudNine%20Sports.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Van de Beek has endured a difficult time at the Theatre of Dreams since arriving at the club in September 2020 after an impressive performance by helping for his former side Ajax reach the Champions League semifinals in 2019 under now-United boss Erik ten Hag. He was named on the Ballon d'Or shortlist in 2019.</p><p>United had to pay close to £40m to the Dutch outfit Ajax to secure his services.</p><p><br /></p><p>The 26-year-old has so far made just six Premier League starts for the Red Devils, and 62 appearances across all competitions, scoring twice.</p><p>He has featured just twice this season (19 minutes of playing time), and has made 12 appearances for United in all competitions since the start of the 2022-23 campaign.</p><p><br /></p><p>Manager Erik ten Hag said recently the Netherlands international needed a move to revive his career.</p><p>He had a loan spell, spending the second half of the 2021-2022 season at Everton before returning to United, and missed the second half of last season with a serious knee injury.</p><p><br /></p><p>Internationally, it is approaching three years since Van de Beek last featured for the Netherlands national team. He has been capped 19 times by his country.</p><p><br /></p><p>Van de Beek who has a contract with United until 2025, will now join the Bundesliga side for the rest of the season, with an option to make the transfer a permanent deal.</p><p>Frankfurt will reportedly pay United a minimal loan fee and cover the majority of his wages. There is also a permanent buy option included in the agreement set at €11 million ($12.1m) plus €3m in potential add-ons.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB_KqNWi2k034f_IHS6o-SqIsQNK5xl9v7Ugw3byIhzf9ad-k2fZJOiLnOt_LcIm6qHcQ6LsSxkh-McGOsNoNv4Ah2BvBBsPPw_RyiRkGl8m_k5mRKLEazm9OVmcV-_mxinegIXCFJ4oYWpEDh9W4zRodNEgp3jBuOU3i9AdL97tvC6BwhRW6OdGlkrj8/s1672/20240101_163802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1120" data-original-width="1672" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB_KqNWi2k034f_IHS6o-SqIsQNK5xl9v7Ugw3byIhzf9ad-k2fZJOiLnOt_LcIm6qHcQ6LsSxkh-McGOsNoNv4Ah2BvBBsPPw_RyiRkGl8m_k5mRKLEazm9OVmcV-_mxinegIXCFJ4oYWpEDh9W4zRodNEgp3jBuOU3i9AdL97tvC6BwhRW6OdGlkrj8/s320/20240101_163802.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>A statement issued by United on Monday read: <i><span style="font-family: arial;">"Donny van de Beek has signed for Eintracht Frankfurt on loan from Manchester United.</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">"Everyone at Manchester United wishes Donny all the best in Frankfurt for the rest of the season."</span></i></p><p><br /></p><p>Eintracht sporting director Markus Krosche said: <i><span style="font-family: arial;">"Donny fits perfectly into our game plan and is an important piece of the puzzle for our team. </span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">"He brings a wealth of international experience to the table, which our young players will benefit from. </span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">"Donny exudes a goal threat and is supposed to put our attackers in promising positions."</span></i></p><p><br /></p><p>Eintracht are sixth in the German Bundesliga table, nine points off the top four, and are in the Europa Conference League play-offs.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Bundesliga is currently on a winter break and Eintracht's next match is at RB Leipzig on 13 January, 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>CloundNine Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14917648140916618835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2715880879737541014.post-37304243607496533282023-12-30T23:41:00.000+01:002023-12-31T09:37:54.984+01:00Cristiano Ronaldo ENDS The Year 2023 As World's Top Goal Scorer Beating Mbappe And Kane To The Achievement. {WATCH}<p>Cristiano Ronaldo has ended the year 2023 as the world’s top goal scorer.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVwhGXNE9qpyuRz4iuhKD6iqUBw6JeMxjVSU-rXzxYEd-L4N3fKDHwrltsklCH-M0ueMA01UbyKdtkekkz5SM3iXpo2BojASbuHRtjyMDsKM0iwV36qAQclPREzqJNVGNy508VU1vacj2hMpb8veFsn2qMl_TFyN5JHcuIYHP5Jb4qZDcoczTWj1l6RnY/s750/Ronaldo%20top%20scorer%20of%202023,%2054%20goals%20CloudNine%20Sports.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="750" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVwhGXNE9qpyuRz4iuhKD6iqUBw6JeMxjVSU-rXzxYEd-L4N3fKDHwrltsklCH-M0ueMA01UbyKdtkekkz5SM3iXpo2BojASbuHRtjyMDsKM0iwV36qAQclPREzqJNVGNy508VU1vacj2hMpb8veFsn2qMl_TFyN5JHcuIYHP5Jb4qZDcoczTWj1l6RnY/s320/Ronaldo%20top%20scorer%20of%202023,%2054%20goals%20CloudNine%20Sports.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>The Al Nassr striker scored his 54th goal of this year as they beat Al Taawoun 4-1 in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dutch midfielder Aschraf El Mahdioui gave the host Al Taawoun the lead in the 13th minute at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium, before the visitors fought back to a massive win courtesy of goals from Marcelo Brozovic in the 26th minute, former Man City defender Aymeric Laporte in the 35th minute, Portuguese midfielder Otavio in the 50th minute, and finally Cristiano Ronaldo in the 90+2 minute.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnwtveMa5fM6YlqJ5vRV3I93ZBuz_Q1T9Xqz8zAcsQTV-wTuWtBo2PFjjDOeKchbGL_ToeKuAomW2W1YotJg8jflgAJ9EK7fuyFaSgQsYjzMmmwNuDv72MU4CYvTAFXUqVxuXFMIdep0jChsIdW_eTCMncZPPC6z3n2TCTi8baNkx69ajhKh26wi0I_IE/s1024/20231231_084659.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="814" data-original-width="1024" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnwtveMa5fM6YlqJ5vRV3I93ZBuz_Q1T9Xqz8zAcsQTV-wTuWtBo2PFjjDOeKchbGL_ToeKuAomW2W1YotJg8jflgAJ9EK7fuyFaSgQsYjzMmmwNuDv72MU4CYvTAFXUqVxuXFMIdep0jChsIdW_eTCMncZPPC6z3n2TCTi8baNkx69ajhKh26wi0I_IE/s320/20231231_084659.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>It was Ronaldo's 20th goal in 18 league games so far this season.</p><p>All of his 54 goals for club and country came in 59 fixtures in 2023, while his football rival Lionel Messi has managed to score just 28 goals in 44 appearances.</p><p>Out of those 28 goals, 11 goals were for Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami in 14 matches whom he joined in the summer having rejected a move to Saudi Arabia.</p><p>The FIFA World Cup 2022 winner guided Inter Miami to their first ever trophy after helping them clinch the Leagues Cup 2023.</p><p><br /></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">CRISTIANO RONALDO SCORES HIS 873RD CAREER GOAL 🤯<br /><br />THE GREATEST PLAYER EVER 🐐<a href="https://t.co/1pzrBZWkgb">pic.twitter.com/1pzrBZWkgb</a></p>— fan (@NoodleHairCR7) <a href="https://twitter.com/NoodleHairCR7/status/1741186211174375682?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2023</a></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>Ronaldo now has more goals in this calendar year than Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane and Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappé (52) as well as Manchester City's star Erling Haaland (50).</p><p>None of the leading contenders will play again in 2023.</p><p>Reacting to the achievement, the 38-year-old responded with a post on the photo-sharing platform Instagram, writing: <i><span style="font-family: arial;">"54 -- I'll say when it's finished! Thanks, team."</span></i></p><p><br /></p><p>It is the fifth time Ronaldo will finish the year as the world's top scorer. He has also achieved this similar feat in 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2015 when playing for Spanish gaints at Real Madrid.</p><p>His 54 goals is the most Ronaldo has scored in a calendar year since netting 55 in 2016, when he won one of his five Ballon d'Or awards.</p><p>The former Man United, Real Madrid and Juventus player joined the Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr on 30th December, 2022 in a deal that would last until 2025 after his contract was terminated by mutual agreement by his former employers.</p><p><br /></p><p>With the win, Al Nassr stay in second place in the Saudi Pro League standings, with 46 points from 19 games, seven points behind leaders Al Hilal.</p><p>Al-Nassr are scheduled to face Messi's Inter Miami termed "The Last Dance" which will be held in the Riyadh Season Cup at the Kingdom Arena Stadium in Saudi Arabia in February 1. </p><p>The Riyadh Season Cup is part of Inter Miami’s pre-season preparation which will also mark their first-ever international tour.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Saudi Pro league is set pause a while for the Asia Cup 2023, and to resume in February 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>CloundNine Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14917648140916618835noreply@blogger.com0