OLT SPORTS

The part leg of the much anticipated Jollof derby double-header between Nigeria and Ghana for a place in the FIFA World Cup laster this year in Qatar ended on a disappointing note for both sides, but the Super Eagles of Nigeria will be more relieved that they left Kumasi unscratched as it was the Black Stars who are the better side on the night. Credits: Nigeria Super Eagles Deputizing for the injured Maduka Okoye in goal, Francis Uzohor proved the hero for the Eagles on the night as he was equal to the Ghanian’s threats when called upon. He did brilliantly well and will have the manager rethinking him as the No.1, a position he lost three years ago due to injury. Apart from the 23year old Omonia Nicosia goalkeeper, the other positive for Nigeria in the game was that they did not lose and will hold the home advantage when they kickoff the second and decisive leg of the tie. Ahead of the match in Kumasi, there were worries amongst Nigerians that the absence of Leicester City midfielder

It's been over three years since Jose Mourinho was shown the exit door at Manchester United for the poor performances of the team and since then, it is obvious that the club has not fared better than they did with the Portuguese. Credits: Dave Thompson/ Getty Images Ever since Sir Alex Ferguson retirement, former Porto manager Mourinho has appeared the best they have appointed and after even he could not satisfy their urge for success, and same has been the fate of those that have come before and after the outspoken boss. At first, it always appeared as though the problems has been solved once a new manager is appointed but as time passes, everything returns to the way it was that prompted the departed manager to be sacked. What is really wrong at the Theater of dreams ? With each summer that comes, huge amount of money has been spent on quality players that ended up depreciating in value and abilities once they get to the club, while the same becomes the case for promising stars o

Arsenal have been long term admirer of the Lyon midfielder and as the summer approaches, it is suggested that the Gunners should reignite their interest in the midfielder, who can very well complement their positions of wanting, and those where they need back up. Credits: Getty It is no more news that should Arsenal finish in the top four and secure Champions League football next season, there will be need to increase the depth of the squad as a lot of players will be shown the exit door at the expiration of their contracts in the summer. The Gunners, currently placed fourth on the Premier League log have relied mostly on the duo of Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka to do the magic in the middle of the park and the contributions of the two has been crucial as that of any other player in the ranks at the club. Mikel Arteta side dropped a lot of points when the two or either was not available as back up options in the likes of Albert Sambi Lokonga and Mohamed Elneny are not that capable of

Arsenal are recently returning back to form and have been showing signs of being good enough for a place in the Premier League top four. Nonetheless the outcome of the battle for that (top four) this season, surely they can be said to be good enough to earn that. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Image) Given their disastrous start to the season, being five points off third place Chelsea is testament to the level of their transition since the 5-0 loss at the Ethiad on Gameweek three, even though they have dropped points where you'd expect them to win in the course of their good run. The Gunners have been good enough to better the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur on the log, but have not been good enough to rival the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City, who can be said to be playing on a different level. Their inability to show up in big games has rendered them a team struggling to make the top four but not on the level of other top four teams in th

Defending Champions takes on record winners as the last eight teams in the European top club competition learn their fate in the next round of the competition. Credits: Twitter/ UEFA Champions League Chelsea vs Real Madrid Thomas Tuchel host Real Madrid in the first leg of the double-header as they continue their bid to retain the title they won last May in Porto. The West Londoners see off French Champions Lille in the last round, winning both legs of the tie to seal a 4-1 aggregate win. The Blues became the only side to win both legs of games in the last round. Despite finishing second in their group behind Juventus, Chelsea dominated the two legged tie, winning 2-0 at the Stamford Bridge before sealing a comeback win in France after going down to a penalty for their host, Lille. Christian Pulisic becomes the first player to score in both legs of a Champions League knockout round for Chelsea since Didier Drogba and he made a vital contribution last season when Chelsea see off Real Ma

The arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho last summer appeared to the football world as though Manchester United have finally solve the puzzle that has seen them struggle since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013. Photo by Patrick Goosen/BSR Agency/Getty Images After another year of dismay which spell a fifth year without a trophy for the Red Devils, the priority now is finding the right manager to lead the team from the start of next season. Many have come and gone but after a promising start to his spell at the helm, many had thought Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has come to stay and with time tipped to become the rightful hier to their former Scottish manager but things later turned sour between the Norwegian and the club. Though it was never plain sailing for Solskjaer before the start of the ongoing season. He has had his moments but mostly failed where it mattered the most. And even though many felt his time was not all doom for the club, their inability to

Prior to moving to Chelsea, Kai Havertz performances at Bayer Leverkusen had sparkled the interest of several European clubs such as Bayern, Man city, Real Madrid before Chelsea eventually signed him in 2020 for €84 million. Credits: Premier League The 22-year-old German has managed 11 goals and six assists in 34 appearances across all competitions for Thomas Tuchel’s side this season but a good percentage of those numbers has come recently. Havertz has been performing well in recent times, scoring crucial goals for the European champions. The highlight his performances was scoring the decisive goal for Chelsea at the FIFA club world cup in february 2022 converting from the spot. Recently replace Romelu Lukaku as Chelsea's main man in attack as the Belgian has been struggling in recent times in front of goal and Havertz has prove worthy replacement having not failed the trust of the Manager, Thomas Tuchel. His latest goal came against Newcastle United at Stamford bridge finishing b

Africa is a home to countless talents, but where opportunities are limited. However, the severeness of talents still make some find their way to the very top, and another name to remember for a few years to come is the 15-year-old midfield sensational, Yakubu Camalar Junior. Photo Credits: HF WORLD Camalar Junior, nicknamed Ney, a name that depicts his likeness to PSG Paris Saint-Germain’s superstar, Neymar Jr because of his play style. Just like Neymar, Camalar Junior has got the dribbling skills, good vision to pick out teammates in promising positions. Camalar Junior plays any position across the middle of the park and well capable of dictating the tempo of the game thanks to his technicality and willingness to get on the ball and make something happen, something positive to the devastating effect on opposing teams. Camalar Junior is an ambidextrous player and very creative with his deft touches, he is able to manipulate the ball to wreck havocs on the opposition, whether by playing

Martin Ødegaard’s form has reminded us why Real Madrid payed a €2.80m for a 16 years old from Norway back in 2015. His quality is clear of his age, which earned him a first International cap at just age 15. (Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images) Unfortunately, he was not afforded enough chance to break into the Galactico's team which prompted his several loan moves to Eredivisie for three years before coming back to the la liga and joining Real Sociedad in 2019, where he really caught the eye with his prowess. He returned to his parent club, Real Madrid in 2020 which his [then] head coach, Zinedine Zidane was not convinced enough to give him a proper go in the team. He joined Arsenal on loan in January due to lack of playing time at Real [Madrid]. The Norwegian came in and immediately improved a team that was abysmal for the first half of the campaign. [He] alongside the club's academy graduates, Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka, brought vibrancy to Arsenal’s attack that

Liverpool visits the Emirates on Wednesday knowing a win will see them close the gap on Manchester City to just one as the race for the league title continues to heat up as the season nears its climax. (Photo by Alex Broadway/Getty Images) Arsenal on the other hand knows a win at home against the inform Liverpool side will further strengthen their grip on fourth place and sending out a strong message to their rival for a place in the Champions League for next season. To compete with the best, you have to learn to beat the best. Arsenal might have been impressive in the league this season but the result has not been encouraging against the other big guns, whom are the supposed teacher of how things would go in the Champions League. Mikel Arteta's Arsenal lost both legs of their meetings with Manchester City this season while also suffering defeats against Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United in the reverse fixtures of their encounter so far. In their recent run of form, this pre

After their stalemate at the Wanda Metropolitano a couple of weeks ago, Manchester United and Atletico Madrid are set to conclude unfinished business when both side kickoff in a crunching Champions League knockout round semi final second leg meeting at the old Trafford Stadium on Tuesday evening. Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images Atletico Madrid, although were the better side on the night in Madrid and led for almost the entirety of the game thanks to an early header from Joao Felix, which managed to beat David de Gea to his near post. Portuguese youngster, Felix has been in impeccable form of late, scoring five in as many outings for the Colchoneros, including a brace away to one of the most improved side in the La Liga this season, Real Betis. Atletico Madrid however were to be denied a win on the night in Madrid when substitute, Anthony Elanga scored 10 minutes from time to ensure that the contest end in parity ahead of the return leg in the United Kingdom. It is really a time t

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has recently spoken to the press about the possibility of the club signing Borussia Dortmund’s Norwegian striker, Braut Erlin Haaland. Barcelona president Joan Laporta revealed the club would pass the chance to sign Erlin Haaland. (Photo Credits: Getty Images) Haaland has been linked with move away from Borussia Dortmund and all seems to point to the fact, which is that the former RB Salzburg striker will not remain with the Bundesliga side next season. Barcelona have been rumoured to be one of Haaland’s suitors and it was even reported that Xavi had met with the player's entourage to discuss a possible move, stating that every player wants to join Barcelona when summarizing the meeting. President Laporta has now revealed that Haaland is a player they would want as he is a quality player but he stressed the fact that they would not do some deals for the club's sake. Laporta when asked about the signing of 21-year-old Haaland, he replied, “Even i

Sometimes, football is just way more than what you can do with the ball. There are some situations that put you on the brink, it then depends on how strong is your mental strength, to fend off the negativity that ensue within yourself or among yourselves as a team. Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United celebrates after scoring their side's second goal during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on March 12, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images) In their Champions League midweek game at the Bernabéu, PSG Paris Saint-Germain went 1-0 up on the night and 2-0 on aggregate after Kylian Mbappé beat Thibaut Courtois to his near post and made it look as though Les Parisiens have the tie won. They saw the lead through half time and even dominated proceedings, constantly putting the Real Madrid defence under severe pressure and if not for the offside flag, they could have been 3-0 up. Then Gianluigi Donnaruma’s e

Man utd match records with Tottenham After suffering a huge loss to their city rivals in their last fixture, Manchester United hopes to bounce back with key players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani and Raphael Varane hoping to get a shot at redemption in their Premier League against Tottenham. Edinson Cavani and Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United celebrate after the Premier League match between Manchester United and West Ham United at Old Trafford on January 22, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images) Looking back at their track record against Tottenham, Tottenham have won two of their last three Premier League away games against Manchester United, as many as they had in their first 26 visits to Old Trafford in the competition, where they lost 21 times. Host, Manchester United are winless in their last three games in all competitions, losing one - they've not gone longer without a win since a run of six games between September and October in 20

Liverpool travels to the South in the first game of the Premier League weekend as Brighton & Hove Albion welcome the Jürgen Klopp led side to the AMEX Stadium in the lunchtime kick-off. (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images) Brighton will go into the match on the back of losing 2-1 to Newcastle United at St James' park last weekend. Liverpool on the other hand, suffered a 1-0 defeat to Inter Milan at Anfield after a brilliant curler from Lautoro Martinez in the only goal of the game. The defeat meant little hurt as the Reds still progressed to the quarter-finals with a 2-1 aggregate win. Liverpool edge West Ham United in a narrow 1-0 the last time out in the league last Sunday to maintain the pressure on leaders Manchester City in the race for the Premier League title. Liverpool has managed to pick maximum points in their last five games, though they have struggled in front of goal, combining three goal in their last two league fixtures. Brighton has also picked up just one