We turn to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers where Nigeria smashed Sao Tome and Principe 10-nil for a record victory for the Super Eagles earlier this week at the Agadir Stadium in Morocco. Napoli forward Victor Osimhen grabbed four goals in the astonishing win. CGTN's Deji Badimosi brings us the reaction from Nigeria.
The 24-year-old was cleared earlier this year by FIFA to switch his allegiance from England to the West African nation.
Lookman had featured for the Three Lions at the youth level.
“It was a tough decision. A decision I had to make because obviously, it was my country’s call.
“My parents are Nigerians and I came to Nigeria a lot of times growing up and Nigeria wasn’t new to me.
“Making decisions wasn’t a tough decision in terms of knowing where I was going. Coming into the team, the squad has been great. Everyone has been very receptive and welcoming. I love this group and the people,” Lookman told Complete Sports.
By Ifreke Inyang
The Super Eagles played and lost their second game under Jose Peseiro on Friday against Ecuador, 1-0, at the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey, USA.
The lineup was the same as the one that started in the loss to Mexico but for the inclusion of Sani Faisal who came on for the injured Innocent Bonke.
Qatar-bound Ecuador settled the fastest and Pervis Estupinan gave the South Americans the lead in the second minute off a deep free-kick. This caught both Chidozie Awaziem and Faisal flat-footed as Estupinan ghosted in behind the pair to head past Francis Uzoho.
Nigeria denied a penalty in the 13th minute after Terem Moffi, from a pass from Alex Iwobi, seemed to have his leg taken by the Ecuador goalkeeper Alexander DomÃnguez but the referee and his assistant agreed it was not a foul despite vehement complaints from the Nigerians.
Uzoho made a diving save from a Jose Cifuentes curler in the 21st minute. Another defence-splitting pass from Iwobi presented a goal-scoring chance to Cyriel Dessers but Domingues made a good save. From the resultant corner, Semi Ajayi had a header saved before Moffi poked wide.
Ekong had to make a scrambling clearance in the 31st minute and he could easily have scored another own goal.
Ola Aina and Emmanuel Dennis came on at the start of the second half to replace Awaziem and Faisal. Dominguez had to be brave to save a fierce drive from Aribo in the 50th minute as the Eagles dominated ball possession and forced their opponents back.
Dennis missed a chance in the 58th as the Nigerians continued pressing and Dominguez produced another save from Calvin Bassey in the 62nd minute.
Estupinan had two bites at the cherry in the 81st minute. Uzoho parried his first shot and he blasted the rebound over with the goal at his mercy.
The match became a tetchy affair as both sides committed niggly fouls, which broke up play intermittently. Peseiro sent on Victor Mbaoma for Moffi in the 85th minute and Uzoho made a fingertip save from Jeremy Sarmiento’s goal-bound shot in the 88th minute as the Ecuadorians attacked after being put under a lot of pressure by the Eagles.
Four minutes were added on but the Eagles could not find the equaliser. Peseiro lost his second game in charge and will be keen for a first competitive win on June 9 against Sierra Leone in a Nations Cup qualifier.
ByJide Alaka
A Nigerian separatist in detention on treason charges has been allowed by a judge to watch the matches of his favourite team, Liverpool, on TV.
Nnamdi Kanu, who denies the charges, leads the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob) group.
In detention since last year, his privileges have not extended to watching whole football matches live.
But thanks to the judge, a fellow Liverpool fan, Mr Kanu can now view the climax to a possibly historic season.
Having already bagged the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, Liverpool are just two matches away from winning the English Premier League title and the European Champions League.
Bizarrely, the change in fortunes for Mr Kanu did not come at his request and resulted from the discovery that Mr Kanu, his lawyer and the judge were all Liverpool fans.
He was in court on Wednesday for a hearing on a bail application following his arrest last year for campaigning for the independence of south-east Nigeria, which he refers to as Biafra.
The bail application was refused but during the discussions about whether he should be granted bail, Justice Binta Nyako complained that Mr Kanu had disobeyed a previous order that he stop appearing in court wearing clothes from the Italian luxury brand Fendi, when he had other options.
She may have been referring to a tweet in which Mr Kanu was seen in an Atletico Madrid tracksuit during a visit by Charles Soludo, the Anambra state governor.
The judge, then joked that she was a Liverpool supporter and asked Mr Kanu's lawyer, Mike Ozekhome if he was also a fan of the football club. The lawyer said: "Yes."
Mrs Nyako then turned to Mr Kanu in the dock. "What is your team?" she asked.
"My team is Liverpool even from age of seven," Mr Kanu, standing upright in the dock, responded.
The judge then ordered the prison representative to allow Mr Kanu to watch next week's Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool and any other match of his favourite football club.
"You must allow the defendant to watch the matches any day they are playing," she said, adding that she was going to make an order to that effect.
Mr Kanu may now be able to sit down and watch Liverpool's last Premier League match on Sunday, but whether that will be an enjoyable experience is another matter.
Manchester City are currently one point ahead of Liverpool in the title race and are favourites to retain the trophy.
Related story: Nigerian separatist Nnamdi Kanu's Facebook account removed for hate speech
Shelina Zadorsky shone among the brightest at Starlight Stadium on Monday night.
The centre back for Canada’s women’s soccer team scored the tying goal in the 88th minute to salvage a 2-2 draw for her team in a friendly against Nigeria in Victoria, B.C.
Zadorsky connected on a header on a cross from Janine Beckie, just after a Canadian corner kick. It was her third international goal in her 80th appearance for Canada.
“I think Shelina had a great game. Set play goals are what she wants to be known for, and for her to deliver that – it was a great header,” head coach Bev Priestman told the media after the game.
Zadorsky not only delivered on offence but was also a steadying presence on the Canadian backline, shutting down numerous Nigerian opportunities.
“I've just been training really hard, working on set pieces and really set goals for myself to be a game-changing centre back,” she said postgame.
It’s this positive attitude that has been Zadorsky’s guiding light for the past year as she adjusts to a new role with the national team.
Monday was just her third start and fifth total appearance in the past 12 games for Canada. The native of London, Ont., was a mainstay on the Canadian backline for many years, playing every minute for her country at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
But that changed at the start of the knockout round of the Tokyo Olympics, when Priestman opted to start Vanessa Gilles (who at that point had seven caps to her name) alongside Zadorsky’s long-time partner at centre back, Kadeisha Buchanan.
Gilles ended up becoming a breakout star for Canada at the tournament, and she and Buchanan have now become Priestman’s go-to pairing to anchor the team’s backline.
After the tournament, Canada’s coach said the decision not to start Zadorsky was a difficult one, calling the 29-year-old “one of the most consistent players” for the team.
“Every player has challenges in their career,” Zadorsky told TSN before Monday’s game. “I think it's a privilege to be on a team with so many – first and foremost, great centre backs – but also just great players who are fighting to be on the pitch.”
It’s an adjustment no player at the top level wants to endure, especially one who was playing key minutes on the international stage for many years.
“It's absolutely a grind,” she said. “But I think that's where I've really challenged myself – to look at my stats, look at where I can get better, where are the growths I can make. I'm the craziest critic of myself, so, I'm always pushing to get better.”
Priestman said she and Zadorsky have had a lot of frank conversations about how to get the defender to the best level on the pitch. After February’s Arnold Clark Cup, Priestman sat down with all her players for in-depth evaluations.
“She's not going to accept not being a starter, and I love that,” Priestman told TSN last week. “I'm incredibly lucky. I think we've got some top, top centre backs. It's a great problem to have.”
For Zadorsky’s detailed assessment, Priestman compared her to some of the best centre backs in the world and outlined what she believes the Canadian defender needs to target on both ends of the pitch.
“I think the most important thing for me is I'll always be honest, and I think that's my philosophy. When I tell a player that they're not starting… I just feel like my job is to be completely honest,” Priestman said.
“Bev and I have a great relationship,” Zadorsky said. “I'm a mature player in the sense that I've had a lot of experience. I always speak my mind, and I'm always honest with my own performances and whatnot. Bev's pushing me in a way that is good and positive.”
Even though Zadorsky is fighting to reclaim a role as a starer, she believes the Canadian team is never about the individuals, but the collective.
“We have so many good characters. It's not a team where anyone wants someone to do poorly. We all want to get the best out of each other, and I think that's what got us on the podium – being a team,” she said.
Part of Zadorsky’s character is being a leader for her teammates, whether she’s on or off the pitch. Photos of Canada’s gold-medal run in Tokyo show Zadorsky being among the most vocal cheerleaders for her team, especially during penalties against Brazil and Sweden.
“That's how I like to go about life – just trying my best to bring the best out of other people,” she said. “Ultimately, I love playing football because I love being in a team. So, I always try and bring the good energy and really just help people perform to their best.”
Zadorsky has carried that leadership to her club at Tottenham, where she has captained the team for the past year. She made the move to the Women’s Super League in England in 2020 after playing four seasons in the National Women’s Soccer League.
“To be able to play in one of the best leagues in the world is incredible,” she said. “I think it's challenged me in new ways, against incredible international forwards, week in and week out.”
Zadorsky said the coaches at Tottenham have a close relationship with Priestman and her staff at Canada, and the two sides have been working together to push her to new heights.
“It's just being ready for the opportunities,” she said. “And when they do come, being able to absolutely put your best foot forward.”
Just like she did on Monday night.
By Meaghen Johnson
Manchester City's International star Kelechi Iheanacho broke the intense scoreless match tournament favorites Nigeria and Egypt were playing. Mo Salah's performance was the opposite to his Man City foe.
Nigeria's Super Eagles defeated the Wild Beasts of Central African Republic by two goals to nil in their reverse fixture of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, which took place in Douala, Cameroon. First-half goals from defender Leon Balogun and striker Victor Osimhen were enough to avenge Nigeria's shock loss to the C-A-R in the first leg. CGTN's Deji Bademosi has more.
Maradona, who died Wednesday at age 60 in Argentina, led his country almost single-handedly to the World Cup title in 1986, scoring what are considered to be the most infamous and greatest goals in the tournament's history.
His storied career with the Albiceleste came to an abrupt end against Nigeria in Foxborough, Massachusetts, near Boston.
The Super Eagles, making their first World Cup appearance, were brimming with confidence, having won the Africa Cup of Nations a few months earlier, and bursting at the seams with young, exciting talent around an experienced backbone.
But even they were awed by the legend of Maradona.
Midfielder Sunday Oliseh was tasked with the responsibility of keeping close tabs on Maradona, and he explained to ESPN the difficulty of the task.
"When I was playing at Standard Liege, I had a poster of Maradona on my wall with the Argentina team from the 1986 World Cup because, growing up, there were only two players that I could say that really made me dream each time I saw them play: That was Pele and Maradona," Oliseh told ESPN.
"He was going to be my direct opponent during the game. I knew that and so the night before, I went to bed early so I could rest and focus. When we got on the pitch that day, it was just that Nigerian mentality of never wanting to give up that helped me stand up to him. It took us about 10 minutes just to begin to figure him out, because his movement was so unpredictable. Even when he had his back turned to you, it was like he had eyes at the back of his head.
"So after about 10 minutes, I told myself there was only one solution; either brutalize this man or get humiliated. Luckily for me, I was slightly bigger and he was not a 26-year-old anymore. I think that was what helped me. So I can understand how those who played against him in '86 must have suffered.
"If you speak to anyone who has been on the pitch against Diego, they will tell you that he had something that you could never really put your finger on. You may call it an X factor, but it was more than that. It was something you can never describe in words."
Oliseh was 19 at the time, and he said it was an honour to have shared the pitch with Maradona, who was then 33. He says the experience helped him as a player.
"Having had the opportunity to play against him was a very special occasion for me," Oliseh told ESPN.
"Psychologically, it was after that game that I really had the confidence that I could go as far as playing in the biggest clubs in the world because, having been able to compete against him, with the esteem I held him at the time, and still hold for him, it means I could play against anybody."
Goalkeeper Peter Rufai, who conceded twice against Argentina, recalled the nonstop battle of wits that went on between Maradona and himself -- one he has no shame in conceding that he lost.
"He was always looking in my direction whenever he came close to the box," Rufai told ESPN.
"He had this way of always looking at me, always reading me but without making it obvious that he was doing it. Like he was measuring me, my position, and anticipating what I would do next.
"He was like a prowling lion, looking for breakthroughs, for opportunities to break into a solo effort.
"On my part, I kept one eye on him and one eye on the rest of the game. I was tracking him all through because his movement can be devastating. All it would take is one pass or one run so I tried to stay alert. I was always calling [Sunday] Oliseh, or Uche [Okechukwu] or [Augustine] Eguavoen to stay alert.
"Any time he got the ball, I knew it could be a game-changer. So as I watched him, I also tried to anticipate who was available in space for him to pass the ball to. It was an enjoyable tactical battle for me that we played in the field. I enjoyed playing that battle of wits with him all through the game."
Samson Siasia gave Nigeria the lead with a crafty goal, but the Argentines, inspired by whom else but Maradona, stormed back to win 2-1.
Argentina's winning goal was all about Maradona's quick thinking and guile, and Claudio Cannigia's execution.
Rufai explained the winner from his position in Nigeria's goal.
"When the free kick was given, I looked at him and saw him looking so I was trying to anticipate him making a long pass. And at the same time, I was checking my wall while I tried to use my peripheral vision to keep him in view. That was my mistake.
"The next thing I knew, he had disappeared, Cannigia was in front of me, and I saw the ball flying past me like a rocket into the angle.
"I knew it was gone and there was nothing I could do about it, but I just felt like I needed to do something and so I dived even though I knew it was hopeless.
"By the time I took off, the ball was already at its destination.
"It was an honour to play against him, to share the same pitch with him, to see him move. This is someone that many people dream of just meeting but a few of us were fortunate to actually play on the same pitch with him. My heart is broken."
Oliseh said the loss felt from Maradona's death goes beyond football.
"It's a different kind of sadness," Oliseh told ESPN.
"It pains in a way that I cannot describe. It is a very strange feeling, like I felt when I heard about the death of [Nigerian soccer legend Stephen] Keshi.
"We lost something today. The world lost something today, not just football.
"He was the best thing to happen to football. He modernized the sport, he transitioned from what Pele had done and took it to a modern level. I personally hold him and Pele as the greatest ever. They were originators, not imitators."
For 1994 African Footballer of the Year Emmanuel Amunike, another member of Nigeria's midfield in Massachusetts, Maradona's legacy will never fade.
"Maradona represented a lot of things," Amunike told ESPN.
"He was somebody that people like us looked up to as player. Watching him at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico was like magic. To have had the opportunity to play against him was a great privilege for me.
"He will always remain unforgettable, a legend and a great icon."
By Colin Udon
