Sports
NPFL: Tornadoes defeat Rangers in Enugu 2-1
It was a sad day for the fans of Rangers International Football Club of Enugu, as visiting Niger Tornadoes of Minna defeated their darling team by two goals to one.
What rankled most is that Rangers lost a penalty kick in the 90th minute of the game that would have made them equalise.
Jersey No. 31, Okechukwu Chidozie kicked the ball across the bar to the charging of the teeming fans and officials of the Flying Antelopes.
Tornadoes began their winning spree 28th minute of the first half through Israel Sarai, Jersey No. 17.
Rangers Jersey No.21, Collins Ugwuele reduced the tally 32 minutes into the first half.
All efforts by the league champions to equalise the game proved a Herculean task as they lost scoring chances, even missing a penalty in the second half of the game.
Happy at the performance of his boys, Niger Tornadoes coach, Mohammed Majin said they had to win because they were on a revenge mission.
“Rangers was the only team that defeated us home and away last season and we prepared for them. We came for a revenge mission,” he said.
Rangers Technical Advice, Fidelis Ilechukwu, said he would apologise to their fans for the loss.
“I want to apologise to our fans for today’s loss. We shall make up for the loss in the coming games,” he said.
Commenting on the penalty they lost, Ilechukwu said that they had ‘big boys ‘ that will not play penalty, and that resulted in their failure.
He regretted that they did not have good strikers, but promised to address the lapse in the coming matches.
Arsenal qualified for the semi-finals of the Champions League, despite playing a goalless draw with Sporting on Wednesday night.
The Gunners had won the first leg 1-0 in Portugal thanks to Kai Havertz’s late winner.
At the Emirates, the chances were far and few as both teams hit the woodwork but failed to score.
Arsenal will now play Atletico Madrid, who eliminated Barcelona.
In the other quarter-final, Bayern Munich beat Real Madrid 4-3 at the Allianz Arena.
The Bundesliga champions had won the first leg 1-0 at the Bernabeu.
Bayern Munich will play Paris Saint-Germain for a place in the final.
Football superstar Lionel Messi and the Argentine Football Association are facing a lawsuit in the United States over allegations of fraud and breach of contract linked to two Argentina exhibition matches held in October.
A Miami-based sports and entertainment company, VID, filed the suit in Florida, claiming it paid about $7 million for exclusive rights to stage Argentina friendlies against Venezuela and Puerto Rico, with the expectation that Messi would feature in both games.
According to the filing, Messi was contractually required to play at least 30 minutes in each match unless he was injured. However, the company alleges he did not take part in either game, instead watching from the stands during at least one of the fixtures.
Reports say Messi attended the match in Miami but did not play, choosing to remain available for his club commitments with Inter Miami the following day. The second fixture against Puerto Rico was also moved from Chicago to Fort Lauderdale, a change the promoters say led to significant financial losses, reportedly over $1 million.
VID further claims the AFA had promised compensation through a future friendly match in China in 2026, which never materialised.
The company is now seeking damages, alleging it suffered heavy financial losses due to unmet contractual expectations.
This is not the first time Messi’s absence from promotional matches has triggered legal action, as similar disputes have previously emerged involving ticketing and advertising expectations around his participation.
Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid have qualified for the semi-finals of the Champions League.
This follows the completion of the quarter-final second legs on Tuesday.
In the first game, PSG travelled to Liverpool with a 2-0 advantage from the first leg.
Although there were no goals in the first half, Ousmane Dembele netted twice after the break as the holders progressed into the final four.
At the Wanda Metropolitano, Atletico qualified for the semi-final despite losing 2-1.
Diego Simeone’s men had won 2-0 at the Nou Camp and at home, Ademola Lookman’s goal proved crucial after Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres levelled the tie on aggregate/
PSG will face the winner of Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid, while Atletico Madrid await the winner of Arsenal vs Sporting.
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