Sports
Ebonyi Gov rewards D’ Tigress player Nwifuru with duplex, N30m
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The Governor of Ebonyi State, Francis Nwifuru, has showered accolades and rewards on Blessing Ejiofor, an Ebonyi-born basketball player who was part of Nigeria’s victorious women’s national team at the 2025 Afrobasket tournament.
The governor announced a cash reward of ₦30 million and the gift of a duplex at tlan Estate in Abakaliki to the basketballer who hails from Okposi, Ohaozara Local Government Area.
Nwifuru announced the award while receiving Ejiofor at the Government House, Abakaliki on Friday.
The Governor expressed pride in her achievement, describing her as a great ambassador of Ebonyi State.
He said her participation in the continental championship was particularly special as it signaled the presence of Ebonyi talents on the global sporting stage.
“I was a little sad during the last AFCON because Ebonyi’s presence was not there,” the Governor remarked.
“But I was happy when I heard, while abroad, that Ebonyi was represented in this championship that we won. This is one of my agitations that has come to be.”
The Governor noted that Ejiofor’s journey to the national team was not an easy one but a testament to determination and divine destiny.
He commended her for inspiring younger athletes to follow in her footsteps and pledged the state’s continued support for sports development.
He also approved Ejiofor’s request for improved basketball facilities in the state, directing the release of ₦50 million to the Ministry of Sports for the construction of a standard basketball court for both male and female players.
Sports
2026 World Cup: Ian Wright names sole team that can halt France from winning trophy
Ex-Arsenal striker, Ian Wright, has named the only team that can stop France from winning the 2026 World Cup.
Les Bleus qualified for the last 16, thanks to a 3-0 hammering of Sweden, with captain Kylian Mbappe scoring twice.
Mbappe is leading the race for the Golden Boot with six goals and two assists.
France will take on Paraguay in the next round, as they seek to play in their third consecutive World Cup final.
Didier Deschamps lost the 2022 tournament to Argentina on penalties and Wright has claimed only Lionel Messi and co can stop them again.
“It’s going to take something [to beat France],” Wright said.
“It’s going to take an Argentina because of the warrior nature of Argentina.”
Sports
SAD: Wife, two kids of Argentine soccer star die in Venezuela earthquakes
The wife and two children of Argentine soccer star Lucas Trejo have died after powerful twin earthquakes struck Venezuela, his team last weekend.
Trejo, who plays for Club Sport Maritimo La Guaira, a second-division team in Venezuela, had searched for his wife Yanina and children Aaron and Ainhoa in the rubble for three days before rescue workers recovered their bodies, CNN reported.
“Club Sport Maritimo La Guaira deeply mourns the irreparable loss of our player’s wife and children,” the team said in a post on Instagram, accompanied by a photo of the family.
“Peace to their souls and comfort for Lucas and all his loved ones,” the team wrote in a post on X.
Trejo, 38, was at a team training camp in Caracas when the quakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 struck on Wednesday evening, and immediately returned to his home in La Guaira — the state worst hit by the disaster — to “a horrific scene,” Trejo’s brother-in-law Ricardo Ardiles told CNN Espanol.
“He found absolutely nothing of what the building itself had been,” Ardiles said.
More than 1,700 people have died and tens of thousands are still unaccounted for, Venezuelan authorities said Monday.
Race to find survivors
Over the weekend, a mother and her 9-month-old baby were pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building in Venezuela by a U.S. search and rescue team.
Virginia Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 1 shared a video of its members pulling a woman from the rubble of a collapsed building. Neighbors cheered as she was pulled from the wreckage.
Another video, shared by the U.S. State Department, showed the baby being removed from the rubble wrapped in blue fabric. The baby’s face was blurred, but it could be heard crying.
Venezuelans have reported seeing few state rescue teams in the hardest-hit areas, though acting President Delcy Rodríguez said the Venezuelan government was mounting a full response. The government of Caracas said Saturday that about 200 people had been rescued. But online databases say about 51,000 remain missing.
In La Guaira, a woman named Diana Sandrano told CBS News that she will search for her missing brother “as long as it takes.”
“He deserves to live and have a future,” Sandrano said, after a day of searching.
Sports
World Cup 2026: USA Flogged Bosnia Despite Balogun Red Card, Set Up Belgium Clash
The United States booked their place in the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a determined 2–0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina at Levi’s Stadium, overcoming a second-half red card to secure progression.
Backed by a lively home crowd of 68,827 fans in Santa Clara, the Americans delivered a disciplined performance and showed resilience after being reduced to 10 men.
Forward Folarin Balogun gave the hosts the breakthrough just before half-time, finishing confidently in the 45th minute to put the USA ahead and lift the atmosphere inside the stadium.
However, the match took a dramatic turn midway through the second half.
Balogun was sent off in the 64th minute after a challenge on Bosnia defender Tarik Muharemović.
Although play initially continued without punishment, the referee reviewed the incident following a VAR recommendation and issued a straight red card.
Down to 10 men, the United States tightened defensively and limited Bosnia’s attacking opportunities, refusing to allow the numerical disadvantage affect their control of the game.
The result was sealed late on when Malik Tillman produced a superb free-kick in the 82nd minute, curling his effort over the wall and beyond Bosnia goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj to double the hosts’ advantage.
Bosnia and Herzegovina struggled to create meaningful chances throughout the contest and were unable to take advantage of their extra man.
The victory sends the United States into the last 16, where they will face Belgium in what promises to be one of the standout knockout clashes of the tournament.
The only setback for the Americans is the absence of Balogun, who is expected to miss the next match following his dismissal.
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