Nigerian footballer Ola Great has received an official trial invitation from the Spanish La Liga club, Sevilla FC D.

Ola Great garnered widespread attention after a tweet requesting a trial with Sevilla went viral, amassing over 100,000 retweets.

The challenge, initially launched by the club’s English X (formerly Twitter) account, sparked increased social media engagement and speculation about his chances.

Now, in a recent development, fellow Nigerian and Sevilla FC D player Chimezie Paul Obi has personally invited Ola Great for a trial.

In a message shared on Sevilla’s official social media, Obi said, “Hello Ola, I am Obi Paul, I am a player of Sevilla FC D, and we would love for you to come and take a trial with our international team. We are waiting for you.”

Source: www.vanguardngr.com

Goals from Jacob Murphy and Anthony Gordon earned Newcastle United a 2-0 win against Arsenal at St. James’ Park and a place in the Carabao Cup final.

The Magpies go through 4-0 on aggregate after securing a 2-0 win in the first leg at the Emirates stadium.

Arsenal went into Wednesday’s game on the back of their weekend performance against Manchester City.

But it was Newcastle who looked more threatening when they went forward and it did not come as a surprise when Alexander Isak gave them the lead on seven minutes.

However, the goal was ruled out for offside after consultation with VAR.

The Magpies eventually took the lead in the 19th minute as Murphy tapped into an empty target after Isak’s initial effort came off the post.

Arsenal suffered another injury setback as Gabriel Martinelli went off on 37 minutes with a suspected hamstring.

In the 52nd minute Newcastle went 2-0 to Gordon.

Fabian Schär won the ball on the edge of the box after Arsenal backline failed to clear their lines and the ball fell to Gordon who slotted it into the net.

The closest Arsenal came to scoring was late in the second half through Myles Lewis-Skelly, but the young defender failed to direct his free header from a corner towards goal.

Newcastle would hope to go one better this time after losing 2-0 to Manchester United in the final the season before.

Meanwhile, the second semi-final will be played on Thursday between Carabao Cup holders Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield. Spurs hold a 1-0 lead from the first leg.

Italian police have arrested eight individuals following a violent ambush by Udinese supporters on a train carrying rival Venezia fans after a Serie A match on Saturday, February 1. The clashes, which took place at Basiliano station near Udine, left several people injured, including police officers, and caused significant damage to the train.

The attack occurred as around 1,200 Venezia fans were traveling home after their team’s 3-2 defeat against Udinese. A group of approximately 50 Udinese supporters, some masked and armed with flares and smoke bombs, blocked the train’s path and began hurling objects at the carriages. This escalated into a mass brawl when several Venezia fans disembarked to confront the attackers.

Six Venezia fans were injured during the incident, with two requiring hospitalization. Three police officers also sustained injuries while trying to contain the violence. A police helicopter was deployed to support the officers on the ground, and most of the Udinese supporters fled the scene as authorities intervened.

Eight individuals were apprehended in connection with the attack, including five Austrians, a Bosnian living in Austria, an Albanian, and an Italian. Investigations are ongoing to identify other individuals involved.

The train carrying the Venezia fans was damaged during the attack, and passengers who were not part of the match were transferred to another train. The Venezia supporters were moved to undamaged carriages, and the train eventually resumed its journey around 8:00 PM local time.

Both Udinese and Venezia condemned the violence, extended their support to the injured, and pledged full cooperation with authorities. Udinese issued a strong statement, emphasizing that “those who tarnish the sport with violence are not fans.”

This latest clash follows a history of tension between the two sets of supporters, including a previous violent incident in Venice on October 30, when Udinese fans were attacked near a train station. Police had stationed officers at Basiliano in anticipation of potential unrest, as the match had been categorized as high risk. Reports suggest that Udinese ultras were joined by supporters of the Austrian club Salzburg, with whom they have established ties.