Super Sub Nkunku Gives Chelsea Win At Bournemouth

Published

5 months ago

September 15, 2024

Christopher Nkunku came off the bench to score the winner four minutes from time as Chelsea ground out a 1-0 win at Bournemouth on Saturday.

The Blues rode their luck at the Vitality Stadium as Robert Sanchez saved a first-half penalty from Evanilson and Bournemouth twice hit the woodwork.

But the strength in depth from Chelsea’s bloated squad, assembled for over £1 billion ($1.3 billion) in transfer fees, paid off late on.

Jadon Sancho, introduced as a half-time substitute, impressed on his first appearance since joining from Manchester United on the final day of the transfer window.

Nkunku span onto Sancho’s pass and produced a clinical low finish for his first Premier League goal of the season.

There was still time for a Premier League record to be set as referee Anthony Taylor dished out 14 yellow cards, surpassing the previous high of 12.

However, Chelsea will care little about the fractious nature of a scrappy game as victory lifts Enzo Maresca’s men up to seventh with seven points from their opening four games.

“You cannot come here and win without getting your shirt dirty,” said Maresca on his side’s ability to battle through their lack of cohesion after another turbulent summer in the transfer market.

Sancho was one of 10 new signings after bringing to an end his disastrous spell at United.

However, the England international shone on loan at Borussia Dortmund in the second half of last season, helping the German giants reach the Champions League final.

“First of all it is amazing to make my debut for Chelsea. Just being back playing I’m very grateful,” said Sancho.

“I’ve been working hard for this moment and I’m just happy that I got my chance.”

It was a case of what might have been for Bournemouth as Marcus Tavernier and Ryan Christie hit the woodwork, either side of record signing Evanilson’s missed spot-kick.

“We had more everything, more shots, more corners but at the end what really matters is to score and they did it at the end,” said Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola.

AFP

Former Belgium player Radja Nainggolan arrested for alleged cocaine smuggling

Published

1 day ago

January 28, 2025

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Former Belgian footballer, Radja Nainggolan has reportedly been arrested for alleged involvement in cocaine smuggling.

According to a report by Corriere della Sera, the former AS Roma midfielder was allegedly part of a smuggling operation transporting cocaine from South America to Antwerp.

The Brussels public prosecutor’s office confirmed Nainggolan’s arrest as part of a large-scale raid on 30,000 houses in Antwerp and Brussels on Monday, January 27, 2025.

“The federal judicial police of Brussels carried out thirty house searches on Monday morning in the context of a case from the Organized Crime department of the Brussels public prosecutor’s office. The searches mainly took place in the province of Antwerp and in Brussels.”

“The investigation concerns suspected activities related to the importation of cocaine from South America to Europe via the port of Antwerp, as well as its distribution in Belgium. We can confirm that the footballer RN (Radja Nainggolan) has been taken into custody in connection with this case,” the statement read as quoted by UK outlet, Daily Mail.

“Given that interrogations are ongoing, and in compliance with the principle of presumption of innocence, no further comment will be made at this stage.”

Nainggolan, 36, currently plays for Lokeren-Temse, a lower-tier club in Belgium. He rose to prominence during his time in Italy, representing clubs such as Inter Milan, AS Roma, and Cagliari.

The former midfielder announced his retirement from international football in 2018 after being omitted from Belgium’s squad for the FIFA World Cup that year.

Sports

Full List: AFCON 2025 Draw Confirmed

Published

1 day ago

January 28, 2025

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The draw for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, has been confirmed on Monday.

The tournament is scheduled to run from December 21, 2025 until January 18, 2026.

All the 24 countries that will be present in Morocco have been found out their initial opponents.

All but two of the 52 Confederation of African Football (CAF) member participated in the qualifying series.

Following the preliminary round, 48 teams were divided into 12 groups of four, playing home and away in a total of six matches, where the top two teams from each group qualified.

The tournament will take place in six cities over four weeks, but there can only be one nation crowned the kings of Africa.

Here are all the important details and the full draw for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

AFCON 2025 groups
Group A: Morocco, Mali, Zambia, Comoros
Group B: Egypt, South Africa, Angola, Zimbabwe
Group C: Nigeria, Tunisia, Uganda, Tanzania
Group D: Senegal, DR Congo, Benin, Botswana
Group E: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan
Group F: Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Gabon, Mozambique

Sports

Para Badminton Int’l: Nigeria’s Bolaji wins gold in Egypt

Published

2 days ago

January 27, 2025

Naijablitznews

By Francesca Hangeior

Paralympic bronze medalist, Eniola Bolaji, on Sunday won gold medal in her final match at the Egypt Para Badminton International 2025.

To get this point, Bolaji won all her previous games in the competition hosted by Egypt.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Bolaji defeated Sweden’s Hillevi Salomonsson 2-0 (21-1, 21-2) in the women’s SL3 final on Sunday in Cairo Egypt.

The African champion demonstrated her skill throughout the tournament, beating Shahinda Mohamed (21-7, 21-2).

She also defeated Basma Nabil-Fawzy (21-6, 21-4) and further conquered Elizabeth Puma (21-2, 21-4) with straight-set victories in earlier rounds.

Bolaji triumphed in dominant style, extending her remarkable winning streak by claiming her 10th title in 10 tournaments, while securing her 58th win in 64 matches

According to the Badminton World Federation (BWF), Bolaji has competed in 10 international championships over the past two years, emerging victorious in all.

This is a remarkable feat that bonds her as a force to be reckoned with in Para Badminton.

She broke multiple records and brought pride to Nigeria and Africa.

Bolaji’s achievement followed her radical success in 2024 where she made history as the first African athlete to win a badminton medal at the Paralympic Games

The Egypt Para Badminton International 2025 which started on Jan.21, ended on today (Jan. 26) in Cairo.