Nigerian striker Victor Olatunji made a stunning impact on his UEFA Champions League debut, scoring and assisting in Sparta Prague’s 3-0 demolition of Red Bull Salzburg on Wednesday. Olatunji etched his name in the record books as the first Nigerian player to achieve this feat, joining African legends Daniel Cousin (2007) and Serge Aurier (2015)….
Al Nassr struggled in Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence on Monday, when the Saudi club kicked off the revamped Asian Champions League with a 1-1 draw against Al Shorta in Iraq. Al Nassr captain Ronaldo did not travel with the squad for the match in Baghdad, with the club issuing a statement a day before stating that…
GISTSMATE MEDIA reports that Portugal international and Al-Nasr captain, Cristiano Ronaldo has reached 1 billion followers across all social media. In a post sighted by our correspondent on his X formerly Twitter page, Ronaldo said history his has been made. He said: “We’ve made history — 1 BILLION followers! This is more than just a…
The biggest sporting reason footballers play the game is to win trophies. It is indeed the best thing that can happen to a footballer, for it does not come easy at all. The reason for the foregoing is not difficult to discern. There have been great players who have not been able to lift their…
A monumental embarrassment awaits Ghana, after the Confederation of African Football withdrew approval for the use of the Baba Yara Stadium for AFCON Qualifiers. The CAF inspection team, on their last visit to Ghana, identified several issues, including a playing field that was deemed unsuitable for competitive matches. Uneven surfaces, poor drainage, and inadequate grass…
Super Eagles interim coach, Augustine Eguavoen says he is still in in charge of the three-time African champions. According to OwnGoalNigeria, a sports website, Eguavoen said his assignment was limited to two matches. The Nigerian tactician was quoted to have said he was given a mandate to oversee the Eagles’ matches against Benin Republic and…
GISTSMATE MEDIA reports that Augustine Eguavoen has resigned as the interim coach of the Super Eagles. According to Politics Nigeria, Eguavoen said his mandate was only for two games, which he has now completed. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) technical director was appointed as interim coach after the federation’s attempts to hire a permanent head…
Chinese football on Tuesday banned 43 people for life over alleged gambling and match-fixing, including three former China internationals and South Korean player Son Jun-ho, state news agency Xinhua said. Beijing has in recent years deepened a crackdown on corruption in Chinese sports, especially football, and jailed several top officials. The 43 were among 128…
GISTSMATE MEDIA reports that Nigerian powerlifter, Folashade Oluwafemiayo, has won a gold medal in the women’s over 86kg at the ongoing 2024 Paralympics Games in Paris, France. Oluwafemiayo, who is Team Nigeria’s captain, achieved a world record of becoming the first para-powerlifter to lift 167kg at the Games. China’s Deng Xuemei lifted 155kg, winning the…
Goals by Amina Bello, Chiamaka Okwuchukwu, Flourish Sabastine and substitute Joy Igbokwe against Venezuela in Cali on Saturday took two-time silver medallists Nigeria to the Round of 16 of the ongoing FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup. Bello guided home a cut-back by the irrepressible Okwuchukwu for the first goal against the South Americans in the…