Author: Apeh Francis

Real Madrid are keeping close tabs on the future of Napoli forward Victor Osimhen. Los Blancos main striker, Karim Benzema, is in the latter stages of his career and the club is looking for a successor for the Frenchman. Real were unable to bring in Benzema’s international teammate, Kylian Mbappe, last summer. According to Spanish publication, Fichajes, Real have not ruled out a move for Osimhen in a future transfer window. The 24-year-old played a key role in Napoli clinching the Scudetto after over three decades, scoring 23 goals and providing four assists. Napoli president, Aurelio De Laurentiis has reiterated…

Wikki Tourists head coach, Gilbert Opana has urged the club’s supporters to take in good faith the outcome of Thursday’s Nigeria Premier Football League rescheduled tie against Rivers United. The Bauchi Elephants were held to a 1-1 draw by holders Rivers United in Bauchi. The result put Wikki Tourists in danger of getting relegated to the Nigeria National League (NNL). WIkki Tourists now need a win in their last game against Lobi Stars to stand a chance of maintaining their top-flight status. Opana said the team will prepare well for the encounter but called on the supporters to rally round…

After the conclusion of the UEFA Europa League semi-final first-leg fixtures on Thursday night, below are the current leading top scorers and assists in the competition. Recall that AS Roma defeated Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 at home, while Juventus drew 1-1 with Sevilla. However, Union SG’s Victor Boniface and Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford are currently the joint-top scorers in the Europa League with six goals each. Europa League top scorers so far:6 goals – Victor Boniface and Marcus Rashford5 goals – Santiago Gimenez4 goals – Lorenzo Pellegrini, Vitinha, Youssef En-Nesyri, Wissam Ben Yedder, Paulo Dybala, Robin Knocke and Ángel Di María.…

Burkina Faso head coach, Brahima Traore has praised his players for their heroic performance against favourites, Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets. The Young Stallions stunned Nduka Ugbade’s boys 2-1 to seal a place in the semi-finals on Thursday night. The Burkinabes also joined Senegal, Morocco and Mali as the four teams that will represent Africa at the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Aboubacar Camara was on target twice for Burkina Faso in the game. Traore stated that his players gave their all to achieve their main objective in the competition. “It was a heroic match and our players gave everything they had.…

Golden Eaglets goalkeeper, Richard Odoh has attributed the team’s defeat against Burkina Faso to mistakes. Nduka Ugbade’s side were eliminated from the 2023 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations following a 2-1 defeat to the Burkinabes on Thursday night. The Eaglets failed to clear their lines late in the first half, with Aboubacar Camara slotting the ball into the net. Camara scored the second from the penalty spot early in the second half. “We made a lot of mistakes in the first half but tried to comeback stronger in the second half but the chance didn’t come,” he said on Brila…

Chelsea caretaker boss, Frank Lampard, on Thursday, promoted the club’s Under-14s captain, Charlie Holland, to participate in the first-team training. Holland took part in a training session with the first-team squad on Thursday ahead of their Premier League tie with Nottingham Forest on Saturday. Lampard’s side are preparing for the Nottingham Forest tie and are aiming to build on the 3-1 win over Bournemouth last weekend. Sky Sports showed footage of Chelsea’s players going for a light jog at the beginning of their training session and spotted Holland running alongside Conor Gallagher, Thiago Silva, Mateo Kovacic and first-team fitness coach…

AC Milan striker, Olivier Giroud has urged one of his former Chelsea teammates, Christian Pulisic, to join him at the Serie A giants this summer. Giroud said that Pulisic is a big name in Europe and he would help AC Milan. Several Chelsea players are expected to be sold this summer after the club’s co-owner, Todd Boehly’s astounding £600m spending spree over the past 12 months. And Giroud hopes AC Milan will take advantage of the clear-out in Chelsea by signing Pulisic. “I think everyone would like it,” Giroud said on the prospect of Pulisic joining AC Milan. “He is…

Real Madrid winger, Vinicius, on Tuesday, equaled one of Cristiano Ronaldo’s records in the Champions League. Vinicius scored a stunning goal in Real Madrid’s Champions League semi-final first-leg 1-1 draw against Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabeu. His goal was cancelled out by Kevin De Bruyne’s strike in the second half, which was brilliant in its own right. In the process of scoring, Vinicius ended up equalling one of Ronaldo’s records as well. The Brazilian international has now contributed to a goal in 11 consecutive starts in the Champions League. The 22-year-old has now scored seven goals in Champions League…

Barcelona forward, Ferran Torres, has expressed his desire to make a return to his former club Valencia in the future. Torres used to play for Valencia as a youngster before his move to Premier League champions, Manchester City. The 23-year-old made 97 appearances for Valencia, scoring nine goals and registering 12 assists. Speaking about Valencia, the Spain international told A Punt Esports: “Doors never close for me, so hopefully, one day I can return to Valencia.” After his stint with Valencia, Torres played for Manchester City, where he made 43 appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side, scoring 16 goals and registering…

Former Manchester United defender, Rio Ferdinand has said Real Madrid will be “bouncing into the Etihad” in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Manchester City. Both teams played out a thrilling 1-1 draw in Spain on Tuesday night. Vinicius Jr opened the scoring for Madrid in the 36th minute, before Kevin De Bruyne drilled in an unstoppable finish in the 67th minute. The result leaves the tie finely poised ahead of next Wednesday’s second leg. But Ferdinand feels Real Madrid won’t have any worries ahead of their trip to Manchester, given their rich history in the competition,…