Sports
Only two goalkeepers have saved penalties against both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are two of the highest scorers in football history but two goalkeepers got the better of them both from the penalty spot.
Portugal progressed to the last eight of Euro 2024 with a dramatic penalty shoot-out victory against Slovenia but it was Ronaldo who stole the headlines after breaking down in tears during extra-time.
Ronaldo was denied from the spot by Jan Oblak but confidently stepped up in the shoot-out to make amends for his earlier miss.
As always, the Al Nassr star is always compared to Messi given their status as two of the greatest players in football history and their penalty record is no different.
On the international stage, Messi boasts a penalty conversion rate of 82.8 per cent after converting 24 out of 29, while Ronaldo has recorded a success rate of 71.4%, scoring 20 out of 28.
The former Barcelona man also knows the pain of missing a spot kick against Oblak after the Atletico Madrid man kept out his penalty in the Copa del Rey quarter-final in 2015.
Oblak smartly read his run up to deny him from 12 yards but Messi had the last laugh with the rebound falling for the Argentine to smash home. Prior to his miss on Monday night, Ronaldo had a perfect record against Oblak, scoring on three other occasions.
That is not the case for the only other goalkeeper to deny both Messi and Ronaldo from the spot – with Ronaldo missing three out of the four he took against his bogey goalkeeper.
Ronaldo’s nemesis was former Valencia shot-stopper Diego Alves. The Brazilian saved a Ronaldo penalty in his debut season, and again in 2015 as well as 2017. Alves is responsible for saving 10% of Ronaldo’s missed penalties in his entire career.
The Portuguese isn’t the only one to suffer against Alves though, with Messi also failing to beat him from the spot. Alves denied the legendary forward in the 2012 Copa del Rey semi-final but again had the last laugh, knocking Valencia out before hammering Athletic Bilbao in the final.
Sports
Mikel Obi arrives in Galatasaray to hold talks with Osimhen amid Nicolas Jackson’s goal drought
Former Chelsea defensive midfielder Mikel Obi arrived in Istanbul on Monday, January 20, for showdown talks with Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen.
Osimhen’s future remains uncertain, but the striker has disclosed that he would love to end his season-long loan deal with Galatasaray.
An exit clause exists in his deal with the Turkish club, but the striker recently rejected a move to English Premier League club Manchester United.
Turkish journalist Kagan Dursun has disclosed that the Red Devils recently offered £59 million to bring the Nigerian striker to Old Trafford.
According to him, Napoli officials travelled to Istanbul recently to secure Osimhen’s commitment to the club, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
Mikel wants Osimhen at Chelsea
Meanwhile, Mikel Obi has not hidden his love for Victor Osimhen to move to join Stamford Bridge outfit Chelsea.
The club legend has been a vocal critic of striker Nicolas Jackson, who has not been convincing in front of goal.
Last summer, Osimhen was on the verge of joining Chelsea, but negotiations collapsed in the final hours of the transfer window.
According to Football Italia, Mikel stated that he would try to convince the 26-year-old, adding that disclosing that Didier Drogba is also doing his best to ensure the deal is sorted.
He said: “I hope that Chelsea fans will finally see him come to the club. I’ll make sure I send him those text messages and calls, making sure Chelsea is his top priority.
“Didier is also speaking to him, sharing his ideas and what the club means to us. We all want to see Victor come to the club. If it happens, it happens. It’s a huge transfer fee, but if we can match it and get him to the club that would be fantastic.”
Mikel arrives in Galatasaray training
Mikel was spotted at Galatasaray’s Florya Metin Oktay training facility, where he met with his compatriot, Victor Osimhen.
The Chelsea legend, who played for the Turkish club Trabzonspor, met the former vice president of Giresunspot Muzaffer Aygun and the owner of Titanic Hotels.
Reports suggest that he would use the opportunity to speak with Osimhen over a possible transfer to Chelsea.
Source: www.legit.ng
Sports
Victor Boniface ends relationship with Norwegian girlfriend, Rikke
Nigerian international Victor Boniface has reportedly ended relationship with Norwegian girlfriend, Rikke Hermine Jensen.
The Bayer Leverkusen striker ended his four-year relationship with the Norwegian influencer as reports indicate that the pair has unfollowed each other on social media.
Their last public appearance was in May last year during Bayer Leverkusen’s historic Bundesliga title celebrations, where they were seen together.
A source told Tribuna that the relationship has not been working for some time now, and Jensen has stopped attending Bayer Leverkusen games this season.
Yes, they were apart for Christmas, and he seemed to have a lot of fun without her. She also stopped attending his games this season. Now, they are officially done,” the source confirmed.
Boniface came down to Nigeria for Christmas and his birthday celebration last month without his partner.
Boniface and Jensen reportedly met in Norway four years ago and started dating after that.
The Bayer Leverkusen star kept their relationship private, as he barely shared details of his love life with the public.
Source: www.mynigeria.com
Sports
CAF Confederation Cup: Enyimba bow out after defeat to Zamalek
Enyimba have been eliminated from this year’s CAF Confederation Cup following a 3-1 loss to holders Zamalek in Cairo.
Forward Seifeddine Jaziri bagged a brace for Zamalek, while Mustafa Shalaby scored the other goal.
Enyimba got their goal through Ifeanyi Ihemekwele.
Enyimba finished third in Group D with five points from six games.
Another Egyptian club, Al Masry, joined Zamalek in the quarter-finals of the competition after they beat Black Bulls of Mozambique 3-1 to record nine points.
No Nigerian club has won the CAF Confederation Cup in the past.
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