Super Eagles striker Odion Ighalo came from the bench to hand Nigeria the much-needed goal to deliver the country from ignonimous draw againt debutant Burundi.
A lovely back-heel from Ola Aina was all Ighalo needed to beat the stubborn Burundi.
Daily Archives: June 22, 2019
Odion Ighalo saves Super Eagles’ blushes, scores winner against resilient Burundi
The Super Eagles of Nigeria kicked off their nations cup quest on the right footings edging a resilient Saido Berahino-led Burundi side 1-0 in Alexandria.
Burundi who are ranked the lowest African side in the latest fifa ranking amongst the 24 participating teams in Egypt defied their underdog status to really give Gernot Rohr’s side a fight for their own.
Burundi were denied by the bar in the 37th minute when Cedric Nsabiyumva’s header off a Shassir Nahimana freekick on the left came against the woodwork. Nsabiyumva picked up the rebound but his volley went wide off target.
The East Africans almost had a point to show for their debutant performance no thanks to late substitute Odion Ighalo’s 77 minute close range finish after a neat back heeled assist from the impressive Torino right-back Ola Aina, much to the delight of the Super Eagles.
Samuel Chukwueze was the most exciting player off the left wing as his pace and trickery on the ball often proved to be too much to bear for the Burundian defenders.
It was an entertaining contest indeed in Alexandria, and a much valuable 3 points opener for the West Africans, who had been absent in the past 2 editions of Afcon.
Gospel Lekams
Photo Credit: Twitter/cafonline.com
Chile national team coach reveals why Alexis Sanchez struggles at Manchester United
Chile head coach Reinaldo Rueda has revealed the reason why Alexis Sanchez has struggled at Manchester United, stating that he does not have a close relationship with his teammates .
The former Arsenal forward has flopped spectacularly since he swapped The Emirates for Old Trafford 18 months ago, with neither Jose Mourinho or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer able to illicit an improvement in his performances.
Sanchez commands a salary of nearly £500,000-a-week, which has proved a complicating factor in United’s attempts to get the likes of David de Gea and Marcus Rashford to commit to new contracts, report the Metro.
The 30-year-old managed just two goals in all competitions for United last season and struggled to maintain fitness, suffering a serious hamstring injury in December before succumbing to an ankle infection against Huddersfield in the penultimate match of the campaign.
Sanchez, however, has returned to goalscoring form in Brazil at the Copa America, surrounded by the players with whom he has won the last two editions of the tournament.
‘It’s not easy to explain, but Alexis has come here and shown a lot of commitment and perhaps in Manchester he does not have the emotional bond he has with his team mates here, that affection,’ Rueda told a news conference.
‘He’s had bad fortune because Manchester United have had problems for a while, so he does not have the structure he has here. He has also had injuries, he’s lacked consistency, he has lacked continuity.
‘We have done brilliant work with him, we have given him a lot of warmth, which is what he needs. He has a special connection with the team and the group is very fond of him.
‘He can recover because he is a natural born goalscorer but he has been anxious after the injuries, he looks after himself well and luckily has been able to rediscover his form.’
Manchester City set to hijack Manchester United’s move for Serie A star
Reports in Italy claim Manchester City are working to tempting Napoli into parting with Kalidou Koulibaly if they match the €120m asking price.
The Senegal international centre-back has long been a transfer target for several clubs, including Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Juventus.
According to Tuttosport newspaper, Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis would be prepared to let him go for €120m.
Manchester City Coach Pep Guardiola is so eager to have Koulibaly in his side that he will ask the club to break the bank.
There would also be interest from Juve where he’d reunite with former Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri, but that seems highly unlikely for a number of reasons.
Football Italia, however, disclose that the Bianconeri are instead stepping up their focus on Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt, with reports last night and this morning that a deal is ready for €70m.