NIGERIA

Super Falcons head coach, Randy Waldrum has hinted that the team is in good spirits ahead of their second Group B clash against Australia.

Waldrum’s side arrived Brisbane on Saturday and have set their sights on clash against the Matildas.

The American stated that there was great vibes in the Super Falcons camp heading into the game billed for the Brisbane Stadium on Thursday.

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Meanwhile, Super Falcons coach, Randy Waldrum, has rued the expulsion of teenage Nigerian midfielder, Deborah Abiodun after she was sent off in added time of their opening game against Canada.

Abiodun initially got a yellow card for her tackle on Ashley Lawrence but after VAR review, Abiodun got her marching orders as her studs hit Lawrence’s shin.

Waldrum has expressed his disappointment at her absence for their next game against co-hosts Australia as she had been almost unplayable for most of the game.

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Super Falcons captain, Onome Ebi, has admitted that their second group game against Australia at the ongoing Women’s World Cup will be a tough encounter.

Ebi, who missed the Falcons’ opening goalless draw against Canada, is one of three players at the tournament making their sixth appearance at the Women’s World Cup.

Brazil’s Marta and Christine Sinclair of Canada are the other players at this year’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand.

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Also, Super Falcons star, Asisat Oshoala, is approaching every game for Nigeria at the 2023 Women’s World Cup with a composed mindset, prioritising her performance over the demands of being in the limelight.

The Super Falcons recorded a draw against the highest ranked team in the Group B Canada in their opening game and are optimistic ahead of their second clash against co-hosts Australia on Thursday.

Oshoala’s remarkable talent and achievements have earned her a nomination for the prestigious Ballon d’Or, making her the sole African woman to reach such heights of recognition.

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Director General of the World Trade Organisation, WTO, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has charged the Super Falcons of Nigeria to ensure they get the best result in their second Group B game at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup against the tournament co-hosts, Australia.

The former Nigerian finance minister commended the Super Falcons for their hard-fought draw against Canada in their opening Group B game.

She sent her best wishes to the team as they now shift attention to the cracker against Australia on Thursday, twenty-seven July, 2023.

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Rangers head coach, Fidelis Ilechwuku is banking on youngsters to beef up his squad for the new season.

The newly appointed Flying Antelopes coach has continued to engage in an opening screening to select raw talents for the club.

Ilechukwu opined that players discovered would be crucial for his reign at the Coal City outfit.

The former Plateau United coach has sacked over eight experienced players from the club after finding them unsuitable to his plan.

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Lukman Adefemi is set to extend his stay at Nigeria Professional Football League side Rivers United.

Adefemi has been a subject of interest from Remo Stars ahead of the 2023-24 season.

Rivers United are planning to present a new, improved offer for the powerful forward.

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Shooting Stars have completed the signing of Darlington Ovunda from Rivers United.

Darlington joined the Oluyole Warriors for an undisclosed fee.

The experienced goalkeeper was part of Rivers United’s title winning side in the 2021 Nigeria Professional Football League season.

The forward is expected to replace Okemute Odah who left the club at the end of last season.

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Football stakeholders have applauded the composition of the new board of the Nigeria Premier League, which is now headed by a former deputy chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Youth and Sports and former Director-General of the National Sports Commission, Gbenga Elegbeleye.

Elegbeleye was confirmed as the chairman of the nine member Nigeria Premier League board which would run the Nigeria Professional Football League for the next two years by Nigeria Football Federation president, Ibrahim Gusau last Thursday.

Other members are Mohammed Sa’idu, Poubeni Ogun, ex-international Daniel Amokachi, Okey Kpalukwu, Suleiman Umar, and Dominic Iorfa as members.

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Italian giants, AC Milan, are expected to announce the signing of Super Eagles winger Samuel Chukwueze after reaching an agreement with La Liga side Villarreal.

Chukwueze is expected to sign a four-year deal with the Italians valid until the end of the 2026/27 season. Chukwueze had already agreed personal terms with the Rossoneri.

According to Gazzetta’s report, the Rossoneri have agreed to pay a total package of twenty-eight million euros for Chukwueze, made up of twenty million euros upfront and eight million euros in bonuses.

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WE BEGIN WITH WOMEN WORLD CUP

African champions Banyana Banyana of South Africa conceded a late goal to lose two-one to Sweden in their opening Group G game of the 2023 FIFA women’s World Cup.

After a goalless first forty-five minutes, it was South Africa who took the lead through Hildah Magaia in the forty-eightth minute.

Sweden hit back and were rewarded in the sixty-five minute thanks to Fridolina Rolfo.

In the eighty-nine minute Amanda Ilestedt netted the winner to give Sweden a winning start.

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Morocco will be in action on Monday when they face two-time champions Germany.

Morocco will battle Germany in their game of the 2023 FIFA women’s World Cup.

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Jamaica’s players set out to “shock the world” in their Women’s World Cup opener against France and did so despite unrest over complaints of “subpar” support from their federation.

Facing the side ranked fifth in the world and packed with European superstars including eight-time Champions League winners Wendie Renard and Eugenie le Sommer Jamaica were pitched as heavy underdogs but came away with an impressive goalless draw at Sydney Football Stadium.

Jamaica, ranked forty-three in the world, are making their second appearance at a Women’s World Cup, having become the first Caribbean team to qualify for the tournament at the 2019 edition.

Meanwhile, Jamaica manager, Lorne Donaldson hailed “the number one result” in his country’s football history after they held France, one of the favourites for the Fifa Women’s World Cup, to a goalless draw.

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Stefanie van der Gragt’s first-half goal gave the Netherlands a one-nil victory over Fifa Women’s World Cup debutants Portugal in Dunedin.

Van der Gragt’s powerful header was ruled out by referee Kateryna Monzul before the video assistant referee encouraged her to review her decision.

Portugal failed to trouble the Netherlands defence, registering their only shot on target in the eighty-two minute.

The win moved the Netherlands second in Group E, below reigning world champions USA on goal difference.

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ENGLAND

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Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola says the team can improve “many things” after coming from behind to beat Yokohama F Marinos five-three in Tokyo.

The City boss also warned Erling Haaland was “fitter” than last season after scoring twice in the friendly.

The match saw Kyle Walker start as captain, Mateo Kovacic make his debut and Joao Cancelo play following his loan spell at Bayern Munich.

City will return to the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo on Wednesday to face Thomas Tuchel’s Bundesliga champions for the first time since beating them in last season’s Champions League quarter-finals.

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Newcastle United have signed England winger Harvey Barnes from Leicester City for a fee of about thirty-eight million pounds.

Barnes, capped once by England, has signed a five-year contract with the Magpies.

He is the club’s third signing of the summer following the arrivals of forward Yankuba Minteh and Italian international midfielder Sandro Tonali.

Newcastle finished fourth in the Premier League last season and in 2023-24 will be playing in the Champions League for the first time since 2003-04.

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Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe says Allan Saint-Maximin’s anticipated transfer to a Saudi Arabian team “will satisfy the Premier League”.

The French winger, is expected to join Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League, run by the country’s Public Investment Fund, which owns Newcastle.

Reports have claimed that rival Premier League clubs are concerned that his transfer fee could be inflated.

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Everton have completed the signing of winger Arnaut Danjuma on a season-long loan from Villarreal.

The Netherlands forward agreed terms with the Toffees in January, but joined Tottenham after they made a late move.

Danjuma made nine appearances for Spurs before returning to Spain at the end of the season.

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Manchester United star, Bruno Fernandes has vowed not to change his ways after being appointed as the team’s permanent captain.

Fernandes led United for the first time since taking over from Harry Maguire in Saturday’s pre-season win over Arsenal.

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Brazil defender Alex Telles has left Manchester United to join Al-Nassr in a permanent transfer.

Telles, is set for a reunion with former United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo, who signed for the Saudi Pro League side in January.

The fee or length of his contract have not been confirmed by either club.

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Chelsea have reportedly made a thirty-nine million pounds pound offer to sign Crystal Palace star Michael Olise.

The Blues have tabled an initial offer for Olise who has reportedly been ‘seduced by the project’ at Stamford Bridge.

Olise has a thirty-five million pounds buyout clause in his Selhurst Park contract.

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Meanwhile, Chelsea player, Callum Hudson-Odoi is ready to move to Italy and has agreed personal terms with Lazio.

Lazio are progressing well in negotiations with Chelsea and manager Maurizio Sarri is keen to work with the player as soon as possible.

The Ghanaian midfielder is back with the Blues after a season-long loan with Bayern Leverkusen, where he played twenty-one games, scoring one goal against Atletico Madrid in Europe.

Fulham are closing in on the signing of Wolves striker Raul Jimenez for a fee of about five million pounds.

The move for Mexico international Jimenez, has been prompted by the uncertainty over Aleksandar Mitrovic’s future.

The Serbia striker is still pushing for a move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal after Fulham rejected a twenty-five million pounds bid.

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Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha has potentially dislocated his shoulder and will have a scan on Monday to find out the extent of the injury, manager Marco Silva says.

The Portuguese was substituted late in the first of Fulham’s three-two win over Brentford in the Premier League Summer Series in Philadelphia on Sunday.

The player left the pitch with his arm supported in a sling by his shirt.

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Tottenham owner, Joe Lewis has told chairman Daniel Levy that Harry Kane must be sold this summer if the striker refuses to sign a new contract.

Lewis is determined Kane would not be allowed to see out his current deal and leave for free when it expires next summer.

Levy values Kane at one hundred million pounds but will come under pressure to sell the England captain before the transfer deadline if he refuses to accept new terms, understood to be up to four hundred thousand pounds a week.

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Some of Europe’s leading clubs believe there is a possibility Tottenham will sell Harry Kane this summer despite the club’s insistence they are not interested in offers for the striker.

Bayern Munich have had two bids rejected for Kane, and met with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy.

Manchester United also enquired but backed off when informed how much a deal would cost them.

The England captain’s contract at Spurs expires next summer.

Tottenham have given the impression they are prepared to let Kane enter the final year of his contract.

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OTHER SPORTS

In Tennis; Andrey Rublev beat Casper Ruud in straight sets to claim the Swedish Open title in Bastad.

Russia’s world number seven, defeated Norway’s Ruud 7-6, 6-0 to win his second title of the year.

Elsewhere, Pedro Cachin, won his first career title beating Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas 3-6, 6-0, 7-5 in the Swiss Open final.

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In Golf; Open champion Brian Harman says he will celebrate winning the biggest prize of his career by mowing the grass of his 40-acre property on his new tractor.

The American, who won the Open at Royal Liverpool by six shots, is a keen hunter and lives on a farm in Georgia.

Harman, won the first major title of his career after calmly finishing the job in driving rain on the Wirral coast.

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In Athletics; Zharnel Hughes broke the 30-year British two hundred metre record by clocking 19.73 seconds in front of a sell-out fifty thousand crowd at the London Diamond League.

He took 0.21 secs off the previous mark of 19.94, set by John Regis at the 1993 World Championships.

The record time saw Hughes take third, with American world 200m champion Noah Lyles winning in 19.47 secs.

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In Boxing; Britain’s Maxi Hughes said he was “devastated” by the judges’ decision as he was beaten on points by Australia’s George Kambosos in Oklahoma.

Hughes landed 98 punches to Kambosos’ 90 in their IBF lightweight world title eliminator.

But the judges scored the fight 114-114, 117-111 and 115-113 in his rival’s favour at FireLake Arena in Shawnee.

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OTHER LEAGUES.

Paris Saint-Germain president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi is encouraging Kylian Mbappe to listen to offers that may come in for the forward this summer.

Mbappe’s future has been blown into doubt over the last few days, with the Frenchman stating that he would refuse to sign a new deal at the club, with his contract set to expire next season.

He runs the risk of leaving for free if PSG can’t sell this transfer window, prompting the French champions to put their star man up for sale with immediate effect.

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Turkish champions Galatasaray are in talks to sign former Crystal Palace attacker Wilfried Zaha.

The Ivory Coast forward, is a free agent after the expiry of his contract with Palace at the end of last month.

Palace had reportedly offered Zaha two hundred thousand pounds a week to stay at the club where he spent most of his career.

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TODAY’S THOUGHT

It is not about how hard you can hit. It is about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward…words from Sylvester Stallone.