Sports
Ronaldo Scores First Serie A Hat-Trick As Ibrahimovic Returns To Italy
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first Serie A hat-trick to lift Juventus top of the table with a 4-0 win over Cagliari on Monday, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic made an “emotional” return for AC Milan in a goalless draw against Sampdoria.
Ronaldo struck for the fifth consecutive league game as the champions bounced back from their Italian Super Cup defeat by Lazio to move ahead of Inter Milan who play Napoli later Monday.
“I’m happy with this first (league) hat-trick. But the important thing is the team, which played very well,” said Ronaldo, who brought his league tally to 13 goals in 15 games this season.
“We had to win today and put pressure on Inter.”
Cagliari held off Maurizio Sarri’s Juve early on, but the second half was all one-way traffic with 34-year-old Ronaldo breaking the deadlock just after the interval.
The Portuguese striker added a second from the penalty spot on 67 minutes then set up Gonzalo Higuain who came off the bench to strike a third nine minutes from time, before completing his hat-trick a minute later.
Juve are three points ahead of Inter in the table with Antonio Conte’s side travelling to eighth-placed Napoli looking to keep pace with the eight-time defending champions.
‘Like A God’
Ronaldo’s heroics overshadowed Swedish star Ibrahimovic’s return for Milan as he came off the bench in the 55th minute against Sampdoria.
The 38-year-old had not played since leaving MLS side LA Galaxy in October.
He came on for Poland striker Krzysztof Piatek to deafening applause from the San Siro crowd after rejoining the club last week.
But there was little else to cheer for the hosts who extended their winless run to three games and remain 12th in the table.
“I felt a lot of adrenaline, emotion, it brought me back nine or 10 years,” said Ibrahimovic, who was top scorer in Serie A with Milan in the 2011-12 campaign before leaving for Paris Saint-Germain.
“I wanted to get on the pitch, score a goal and then celebrate like a God in front of the Curva! But it will happen next time.”
The seven-time European champions are 13 points off Champions League qualification, a competition they have not played since the 2013-14 season.
“You can see that the team is lacking confidence and aggression in scoring goals,” said the Swede.
“I will try everything possible to get Milan going again. There is a lack of faith here.”
Five-Star Atalanta
Milan coach Stefano Pioli said the team were still reeling from their 5-0 defeat by Atalanta last time out.
“The disastrous defeat in Bergamo has remained within us,” said Pioli. “It is a shame not to have won. Ibra’s impact was absolutely positive.
“He immediately gave support, but the team is not yet used to his presence, we could look to him more.
“His physical prowess gives us some more solutions, but we lacked quality from everyone.”
Atalanta continued their fine form, closing to within a point of fourth-placed Roma, who lost 2-0 to Torino on Sunday, with another 5-0 rout, this time of seventh-placed Parma.
Atalanta were already three goals up before the break thanks to Papu Gomez, Remo Freuler and Robin Gosens, with Josip Ilicic adding a second-half double.
New Fiorentina coach Giuseppe Iachini had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Bologna in his first game after taking over from Vincenzo Montella.
The Tuscany side had led for most of the game after Marco Benassi volleyed in on 27 minutes but Riccardo Orsolini grabbed a point for Bologna deep into injury time.
Udinese secured back-to-back wins for the first time this season thanks to a late Rodrigo De Paul winner at Lecce.
AFP
North West: Dr Are, Aminu Bizi, Others To Represent Zone On Sports Federations Boards
Immediate past Director, Grassroots Sports Development, Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Dr. Ademola Are has been elected to represent the North West Zone on the Board of the Rugby Federation of Nigeria.
Also elected to represent Traditional Sports Federation from North West Zone, is Alhaji Aminu Bizi, who beat his opponent, Usman Musa 5-2 votes.
Dr. Are emerge winner after beating his opponent, David Eneana by 4-3 votes at the elections conducted on Wednesday September 22, 2021 at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna.
In an interview with sportswriters after the election, Dr. Are said that with his vast experience, the game of rugby is set for integrated development in the country.
North West: Dr Are, Aminu Bizi, Others To Represent Zone On Sports Federations Boards
In a separate interview, Alhaji Aminu Bizi said that with his emergence, they are set to grow traditional sports all over the country.
He assured that plans would be put in place, to aggressively push for NIgeria’s traditional sports to be featured at the Olympics Games.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) representative who conducted the election, Aminu Kasim described the election as free and fair, transparent and credible.
In handball. Aminu Alhaji Bala from Sokoto emerge winner after defeating Musa Hamza from Kaduna 4:3 votes, while in Judo Salisu Mohammed Aliyu from Kano emerge winner after defeating Mai Kadi Abubakar 4:3 votes.
In Tennis. Yusuf Daiti defeated Joel Adi 4:3 votes while in wrestling. Fawole Olawole emerged winner.
Others elected unopposed include Manzari Isa (Wushu Kunfu), Mohammed Maina (Badminton), Demola Ali (Chess), Umar Ladan (Cricket) Kabiru Umar (Deaf),, Abubakar Dan Galadima (Fives).
The rest are Ahmed Mai zare (Gymnastics), Nkom Obadiah Simon (Hockey), Suleiman Abubakar (Karate), Umar Salleh (Kick boxing), Adamu Magaji (Scrabble), Yusuf Umar (Squash), Abdullahi Baba (Taekwondo) and Dr Babangida Hussaini (Weightlifting).
Sports
Ex international boxer Calls on FG to invite previous gold and silver medalists for preparation of the National sports festival
Ex international boxer Calls on FG to invite previous gold and silver medalists for preparation of the National sports festival
Ex International boxer Mazi Ikechukwu Okoronkwo is calling on FGN through the minister of youth and Sports development Sunday Dare to invite all the Gold and Silver medalists at Last National Sports Festival held at Benin to National camp for preparation of World Boxing Championship as a matter of urgency.
Speaking to news men in his residence in Enugu today, Mazi Okoronkwo said that the nation boxers were deprived of Japan Olympics opportunity in the circumstances that is beyond the boxers. The climax of sports development is to expose the discovered youth to International competition for practical human capacity building result. The amount of money the Government will use to expose this able bodies youth can not be compare to the amount of money the nation will lose when the youths get to the street out of frustration.
Mazi Comr Ikechukwu Okoronkwo Nigeria Ex International boxer and Sports Ambassador said that Government should strive harder to immediately call all the concern boxers to National camp for the interest of practical youth empowerment as preached
Speaking further, he said that there is urgent need to call the boxers for closed National camping towards the up coming world championship in Belgrade Serbia next month for better preparation. Just exactly 1 month remaining before the start of the competition. It is a norm that Nigeria boxing board normally invite Gold and Silver medelist with other selected best loser boxers to National camp.
Recalling his boxing days, he said “I (Ikechukwu Okoronkwo) was invited to National camp after I won Gold medal in Light weight at 1992 National open Boxing Championship at Lagos and from the National camp I was developed to International standard Mrs Uche ugbade was the secretary of boxing board with Brai Ayonote as the President of the board as can be seen in my certificate in 1992, also the current secretary of Nigeria Boxing Federation Sunny Obut was with Nigeria boxing board then therefore they have experience the important of boxers’ body conditional through National camping Sunny obut, Mrs Uche ugbade with Gen Ayeni as care taker Committee should know”
Ex international boxer Calls on FG to invite previous gold and silver medalists for preparation of the National sports festival
He concluded by saying that most Nigerian Institution have lost the vision for foundation structures and it is this lost of the foundation structures vision is what is playing out in the decline of our sporting association performance expecially Nigeria Boxing Federation.
Ikechukwu Okoronkwo with Team Nigeria suit and 1992 boxing trophy
Mazi comr Ikechukwu Okoronkwo with some of Boxing medal won in Boxing and grassroot boxing best Technical co ordinator trophy
Mazi comr Ikechukwu Okoronkwo with some of Boxing medal won in Boxing and grassroot boxing best Technical co ordinator trophy
Aisha Buhari, Oshoala, 1999 Super Falcons Dazzle At NFF-Aiteo Football Awards
The third edition of the annual NFF-Aiteo Football Awards took the City of Lagos by storm on Monday night, with the country’s First Lady, Dr (Mrs) Aisha Buhari, as well as four-time African Player of the Year Asisat Oshoala, home-based professional Gift Monday and the Super Falcons’ class of 1999 the star attraction at the glamour event inside the Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island.
Scuttled by the global coronavirus pandemic that has wreaked havoc worldwide since the beginning of year 2020, the third edition of the showpiece event was planned on a smaller scale but blossomed and and became magnified as the night wore on, with the wife of the Chief Naval Staff, Hajiya Nana Aisha Gambo (representing the First Lady); First Lady of Lagos State, Dr (Mrs) Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu; FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura; Edo State Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu; Aiteo’s Executive Vice President Francis Peters; FIFA Executive Member Isha Johansen; CAF Executive Member Kanizat Ibrahim; CAF chieftain Danny Jordaan; daughters of the First Lady of the Federal Republic – Halima, Zahra and Noor; NFF Executive Committee Members and Management; top guns of the Lagos State Sports Commission and FA; NFF partners and sponsors; corporate titans; squad members of the 1999 Super Falcons; squad members of the Women ‘A’ teams of Nigeria and Cameroon and; leading football stakeholders, in the hall.
Former NFF President, Col. Abdulmumini Aminu (rtd); Sarah Bareman (FIFA Head of Women’s Football); Barr. Allen Onyema (Chairman of Air Peace); Distinguished Senator Obinna Ogba (Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports); AIG Garba Umar Baba (Nigeria’s Interpol Officer and NFF’s Senior Adviser on Security); Aiteo Group’s Samira Buhari and; Dr Aliyu Oroje Wammako (President of Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria) were also present.
Aisha Buhari, Oshoala, 1999 Super Falcons Dazzle At NFF-Aiteo Football Awards
President of the NFF and FIFA Council Member, Amaju Melvin Pinnick heaped plaudits on Dr Aisha Buhari, in whose name the six-nation invitational tournament concluded on Tuesday in Lagos was held, and disclosed that her passion, interest, attention and commitment to the challenges confronting women, the girl-child and the less privileged in general motivated the Aisha Buhari Cup event. The First Lady was honoured with the award of Best Supporter of Women’s Football.
Silas Nwankwo and Charles Atshimene, who shared the honours of top scorer in the last NPFL season with 19 goals, were joint winners of the Best Performance of the Year (Men; Nigeria-based) while Paul Onuachu emerged Best Performer for the overseas-based crew. Super Eagles’ forward Onuachu scored 35 goals in 41 games for his Belgian club Genk and two crucial goals in the Super Eagles’ successful qualifying campaign for the 2021 AFCON finals.
Oshoala, who Spanish club FC Barcelona won the UEFA Champions League, emerged best performer (Women; Overseas-based) while Gift Monday, top scorer in the NWFL season, was crowned best performer on the home front.
Akwa United FC, Bayelsa United FC, Kennedy, Boboye, Moses Adukwu, Joseph Ogabor, Patience Madu, Ahmed Musa and NFFTV and NPFLTV were other winners, while Princess Bola Ngozi Jegede was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award (collected by her son, Christopher). There were also post-humous awards to Prince Larry Eze and Ms Henrietta Ukaigwe for contributions to women football development.
Lagos State was honoured with Host State of the Year and Edo State was recognized with Award of Commitment to Women Footbal Excellence.
Comperes Ay (Ayo Makun) and Ufuoma McDermott brought even more glamour and dazzle to the night by calling the members of the Super Falcons class of 1999 to the stage, with 14 of the 20 players present on the night: Nkiru Okosieme, Rita Nwadike, Mercy Akide, Ann Chiejine, Yinka Kudaisi, Marvis Ogun, Maureen Mmadu, Stella Mbachu, Gloria Usieta, Adanna Nwaneri, Florence Iweta, Nkechi Egbe, Judith Chime and Martha Tarhemba. The deceased Ifeanyi Chiejine was represented by her sister.
AWARD WINNERS:
Best Performance of the Year (Men; Nigeria-based): Silas Nwankwo/Charles Atshimene
Best Performance of the Year (Men; Overseas-based): Paul Onuachu
Best Performance of the Year (Women; Nigeria-based): Gift Monday
Best Performance of the Year (Women; Overseas-based): Asisat Oshoala
Club of the Year (Men): Akwa United FC
Club of the Year (Women): Rivers Angels FC
Coach of the Year (Men): Kennedy Boboye
Coach of the Year (Women): Moses Adukwu
Referee of the Year (Men): Joseph Ogabor
Referee of the Year (Women): Patience Ndidi Madu
Memorable Performance of the Year: Bayelsa United FC
Host State of the Year: Lagos State
Best Supporter of Women’s Football: Dr (Mrs) Aisha Buhari
Commitment to Women’s Football Excellence: Edo State
Inspirational Award: Ahmed Musa
Innovation Award: NFFTV/NPFLTV
Special Recognition Award: Super Falcons Class of 1999
Lifetime Achievement Award: Princess Bola Ngozi Jegede
Post-humous Award: Prince Larry Eze/ Ms Henrietta Ukaigwe
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