Sports
USA Tops Group D, Set To Clash With Nigeria
USA won the battle of the top two teams in Group D at the ongoing FIFA U-20 World Cup in Germany. Thanks to their golden girl, Sydney Leroux as it leaves them to face a quarter-final tie against Nigeria in Augsburg on Sunday. Korea Republic, who were already assured of their last-eight place, return to Dresden where they take on Mexico.
The reigning champions needed to avoid defeat to be sure of going through while only a victory would maintain their record of always winning their group at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. They must have been given a boost before the start when South Korea left out their five-goal marksman, Ji So-Yun, and also influential midfielder Kim Na-Rae. They made four changes in all as coach Choi In Cheul decided to rest his most impressive talents.
Considering all their changes, South Korea still gave a good account of themselves and saw a lot of the ball in the USA half. Down the left flank Jeoun Eun-Ha., one of those promoted to a starting role, caused some problems for the US defenders.
But the best openings were falling to the US with Leroux passing up a good chance in the 18th minute. She anticipated the cross coming in from the left and swung her boot at it but did not make a good connection.
That was forgotten three minutes later when Amber Brooks found Leroux with a neat through pass and the American captain got there ahead of Moon So-Ri to prod it into the net for her fifth goal of the tournament.
South Korea worked hard for an equaliser before the break and Kang Yumi put purpose behind her strike after Lee Hyun-Young had played her in. But Bianca Henninger was equal to it as she turned the ball over the top.
The east Asians brought on Ji at half-time and immediately she was in the thick of the action, sending a free-kick wide. In the 58th minute, she was through with only the keeper to beat but Henninger saved well with her legs, mirroring a good save at the other end as Moon denied Leroux.
Ji and Leroux were now dominating the penalty-area action although the two goalkeepers were coming out on top. Ji misread the flight of a free-kick when it seemed that just a nudge from her would take the ball over the line. At the other end, Moon parried to deny Teresa Noyola and again frustrated Leroux when the American was clean through.
Six minutes from time, Leroux did manage to beat Moon in a race to meet a long ball but she was forced wide and her finish ended up going across the face of the goal and out for a goal-kick.
England captain Harry Kane netted a hat-trick to guide Bayern Munich to an impressive victory against Stuttgart.
Kane’s goals, plus one from Kingsley Coman, helped Bayern end a three-game winless run in all competitions.
They faced a tough task against a Stuttgart side who sat back and limited their chances, leading Vincent Kompany’s side to enter the break frustrated and with the deadlock unbroken.
Bayern eventually found a way past Stuttgart’s steely defence when Kane drilled a low effort into the bottom corner from around 30 yards out after Joshua Kimmich overturned possession.
Former Nigeria goalkeeper, Dosu Joseph, is full of thanks to God after he miraculously survived another life-threatening automobile accident recent at Kara, along the Lagos-Ibadan Express Way, where a heavy-duty truck ran into his SUV.
Narrating his ordeal, the 51-year-old, who guided Nigeria to gold in the Men’s Football Tournament of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, broke the news in a statement on his social media handles on Friday.
“To God be the glory, another death escaped by Grace and Mercy of God. Me and my friend SM were at Enyo Filling Station after Ojodu Berger bus stop to get fuel on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, around 6 p.m. when this MACK truck fully loaded with iron, with registration number LND 470 XX, left the road and crushed my car beyond repairs. Thank God for life,” he stated.
This is the second time the soft-spoken club proprietor will cheat death by a whisker, having been involved in an accident in 1997 that ended his career at 23 and left his spinal cord in bad shape.
He helped Julius Berger win the Nigeria FA Cup in November 1997 shortly a memorable Olympic outing by keeping a clean sheet in the finals against Katsina United. The following year, he was involved in the auto along Ikorodu Road, Lagos, which not only cut his career short but also left him almost paralysed, ending his spell at Serie A club Reggiana.
The former Nigeria international, who also kept goal for Julius Berger FC, said the case has been reported to Isheri Police Station, Ogun State, where the driver is currently detained and the truck also seized.
According to him, the owner of the truck said he can’t fix the badly damaged SUV until after a year.
Ex – Super Eagles of Nigeria, Okwuchukwu Waobikeze has observed that sports development in Nigeria is going down.
According to him, grassroots sports is very important, without it, the administrators cannot get it right. So everybody should key into grassroots sports development, he said.
Waobikeze said this last Wednesday in an interview with sports journalists shortly after the Port Harcourt All Stars Independence football festival (OCTOBERFEST) at the Port Harcourt club, Rivers State.
He explained that for sports administrators to get it right, grassroots development is key. “They should be organising competition at the grassroots level to fish out the young ones for different sporting activities.
“Grassroots sports is very important so the administrators have to go back to the grassroots.
” Sports Development in Nigeria is going down we need to go back to the basics.
“Look at the just concluded Paris Olympics, Nigeria did not win any medal.
” Our football team did not even qualify for the Olympics. We are going down.
” If they should go back to the grassroots, they will get young ones in the games and talents will be developed.
” I started from school games, to youth games before playing for the national team. Now everybody wants to fly board to play professional football and a lot do not know the basics of the game.
” A lot of people did not know the little things about the game, they just want to play. It is not done so,” Waobikeze stated.
Kiadum Edookor