Sports
Super Eagles captain, Troost-Ekong wants his team at World Cup fiesta
Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has praised Lesotho for their spirited performance while reaffirming Nigeria’s determination to finish their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign on a strong note.
Speaking during a post-match conference after Nigeria’s hard-fought encounter against Lesotho on Friday, Ekong admitted it was a difficult game and acknowledged the opponents’ effort.
“Lesotho played a great game; it wasn’t easy to come here. I can understand their disappointment and frustration because they put up a very good fight,” he said
Ahead of the crucial tie against the Benin Republic, the 32-year-old Al-Kholood centre back emphasised the team’s intent to deliver a dominant performance.
”Playing against Benin Republic, we know we have to score a certain number of goals, that’s the mindset we need to go in with. But it has always been the same: we need to win the game, and we have to win it convincingly,” he said.
Despite the mounting expectations, Ekong believes the Super Eagles are mentally and physically prepared for what lies ahead.
“It’s going to be a big test again, but now I think the team is really ready. We’ve been working on handling pressure for a long time, and we know this is the final push. We’ve worked hard to get here.
Ekong revealed that the team has been under immense pressure since the qualifiers began, but remains focused on their goal of securing a World Cup ticket.
“These kinds of games are not easy. The coach, Finidi George, explained that the pressure has been on us since March, or really, since the start of the qualifiers, and we just wanted to focus on ourselves,” he explained.
He also shed light on the team’s emotions after the match, describing the players’ hunger and commitment to success.
“We took some time to come out of the dressing room because there was some frustration. We always want to do better because we have a team of guys with a winning mentality. We want to be winners, and we want to be at the World Cup. We’ve said that for the last nine months, and now we have that opportunity.”
Former Liverpool forward, Mohamed Salah, has been banned from driving for six months after failing to identify the person driving his Rolls-Royce when it was caught speeding in Cheshire, United Kingdom.
Court documents reported by the BBC showed that the vehicle was recorded travelling at 36mph in a 30mph zone in Wilmslow on March 27.
Salah, 34, failed to respond to a notice issued by Cheshire Constabulary requiring information about the driver and did not enter a plea.
He was prosecuted at Warrington Combined Court under the Single Justice Procedure, which allows magistrates to deal with certain cases without a public hearing.
A court spokeswoman said Salah was convicted of failing to provide information relating to the identification of the driver of the vehicle.
He was disqualified from driving for six months and ordered to pay £1,044.
The incident occurred three days after Salah announced his departure from Liverpool at the end of the 2025/26 season, bringing his nine-year spell at the club to an end.
Liverpool had described Salah as oneof the greatest players in the club’s history when it announced his departure on March 24.
Salah scored 257 goals in 442 appearances for Liverpool before leaving the club for Turkish side Trabzonspor after the 2025/26 season.
He currently plays for Trabzonspor in Turkey.
Manchester City moved three points clear at the top of the Premier League after surviving a thrilling Sunderland fightback to claim a 5-3 victory at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
City capitalised on Arsenal’s shock 3-0 defeat to Brighton but were pushed all the way by a Sunderland side that refused to surrender despite falling behind three times.
Enzo Fernandez opened the scoring with his first Premier League goal since his £125 million ($167 million) move from Chelsea, curling a free-kick that caught Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs off guard at his near post.
Sunderland, who had defeated AZ Alkmaar in Europe during the week, showed no signs of fatigue as Brian Brobbey levelled after converting Enzo Le Fee’s pass.
Rayan Cherki restored City’s lead with a composed finish, only for Brobbey to respond again four minutes later after a slick Sunderland move.
Antoine Semenyo put the hosts back in front before half-time and appeared to have settled the contest when he struck again with an accurate left-footed finish shortly before the hour mark.
But Brobbey completed his hat-trick when Nilson Angulo raced onto a ball over the top and beat Gianluigi Donnarumma before setting up the Sunderland striker.
City were forced to withstand further pressure, with Donnarumma involved in a couple of nervous moments and Ruben Dias clearing the ball off his own goal line.
Erling Haaland eventually ended Sunderland’s hopes of a comeback by adding City’s fifth goal, while also maintaining his record of scoring against every Premier League opponent he has faced.
The victory extended Enzo Maresca’s perfect start as he takes on the daunting task of succeeding Pep Guardiola as Manchester City manager.
Liverpool Edge Bournemouth
Liverpool also secured an important victory, beating Bournemouth 1-0 on Andoni Iraola’s return to the south coast.
Iraola received a warm reception from Bournemouth supporters after previously guiding the Cherries into Europe for the first time in the club’s history.
His success eventually earned him the Liverpool job, but his start at Anfield has been inconsistent, making Saturday’s victory particularly valuable before the three-week international break.
Liverpool were far from their best but found the decisive breakthrough when Cody Gakpo’s cross fell perfectly for Alexander Isak, who fired home his fourth goal of the season.
The result lifted Liverpool to sixth place, just one point behind third-placed Brighton.
Leeds Held by Palace
Leeds missed the opportunity to climb into third place after being held to a goalless draw by Crystal Palace at home.
Palace thought they had taken the lead in the second half when Tyrick Mitchell found the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside during the build-up.
United Under Pressure
Manchester United will look to ease the pressure on manager Michael Carrick when they travel to bottom-of-the-table Fulham.
United have collected just four points from their opening four league matches and were knocked out of the League Cup by Brighton in midweek after surrendering a 2-0 lead at home for the first time in 50 years.
Defending champions Rangers, Inter Lagos and Abia Warriors recorded away wins on Matchday Four of the Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL, on Sunday.
Inter Lagos stunned nine-time champions Enyimba 1-0 in Aba.
Ezekiel Moses scored the decisive goal for the visitors in the 18th minute.
Rangers beat Kun Khalifat FC 4-2 in the Oriental derby at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri.
Preye Seikorowei, Ayuba Umar, Temitope Folarin and Waheed Adebayo scored for Rangers, while Chimobi Igwilo netted twice for Kun Khalifat.
Abia Warriors recorded their first win of the season, edging past Sporting Lagos 2-0 at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan.
Ikoi Etta and Emeka Obioma got the goals for Imama Amapakabo’s side.
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