Sports

Inter Snatch Late Winner Against Barcelona In Champions League Thriller

Published

2 weeks ago

May 7, 2025

Admin

Davide Frattesi fired Inter Milan into the Champions League final on Tuesday with an extra-time winner, which gave the Italians a stunning 4-3 triumph over Barcelona, 7-6 on aggregate.

Italy midfielder Frattesi won a tie for the ages under a downpour in Milan when he lashed home in the 99th minute, sending a packed and rocking San Siro wild with joy.

Simone Inzaghi’s team will face either Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain at the end of this month in Munich, where they will feel they have a great chance to be crowned kings of Europe for a fourth time after coming out on top in an epic contest.

Tuesday’s triumph saved Inter’s season as their bid for the treble went up in smoke after getting past Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals.

Inter conceded top spot in Serie A to Napoli, who are favourites to claim the domestic league title, after getting past Bayern, while AC Milan dumped them out of the Italian Cup a fortnight ago.

But Inter ended Barca’s hopes for the quadruple and now head into the final weeks of the season buoyant with a second Champions League final in three seasons to look forward to.

Frattesi’s winning goal, his seventh of the season and probably the most important of his career, was all the more incredible for the fact that Inter should by rights have already been eliminated.

The hosts were heading out with two minutes remaining of regular time when Raphinha completed a comeback from two goals down at half-time and gave Barca a 3-2 lead on the night.

But Francesco Acerbi stunned everyone in the stadium, not least the already-celebrating Barca supporters, when he forced home Denzel Dumfries’ cross in the second minute of added time.

That goal came as a bolt from the blue as Barca had been by far the better team in the second half of normal time after going in at the break behind to a brilliant Lautaro Martinez goal and Hakan Calhanoglu’s penalty in first-half stoppage time.

Eric Garcia and Dani Olmo pulled Barca level with goals in the 54th and 60th minutes, both from sumptuous Gerard Martin deliveries, and Yann Sommer had to be at his best to keep Inter within touching distance.

Sommer made possibly the save of the season between Barca’s first two goals, somehow stopping Eric Garcia from finishing off a lightning Barca counter-attack.

And the Swiss ended up being crucial again in the 113th minute when he pulled off another miraculous save from Lamine Yamal, who hit the post just before Acerbi’s equaliser.

Inter then held off Barca as the home fans held their breath before unleashing a mighty roar at the final whistle of the match of the season.

AFP

Sports

SEE LIST Of Top Ten: Cristiano Ronaldo Named Richest Athlete for 2024

Published

14 hours ago

May 17, 2025

ADMIN

Al Nassr striker, Cristiano Ronaldo has been named as Forbes highest-paid athlete for 2024.

This is the third consecutive year he’s claiming the top spot.

The 40-year-old banked around £206.6million in 2024, which is £11.2m more than in 2023.

Ronaldo is believed to earn £177million-a-year salary at the Saudi club, which he joined from Manchester United in December 2022.

He is ahead of NBA’s Steph Curry and British boxer Tyson Fury.

Ronaldo’s longtime rival Lionel Messi drops to fifth place from third place in 2024.

TOP 10 HIGHEST-PAID ATHLETES

1. Cristiano Ronaldo – £206.6m ($275m)

2. Stephen Curry – £117.1m ($156m)

3. Tyson Fury – £109.5m ($146m)

4. Dak Prescott £102.8m ($137m)

5. Lionel Messi £101.3m ($135m)

6. LeBron James £100.4m ($133.8m)

7. Juan Soto £85.5m ($114m)

8. Karim Benzema £78m ($104m)

9. Shohei Ohtani £76.9m ($102.5m)

10. Kevin Durant £76.1m ($101.4m)

Sports

Barcelona win La Liga title after beating rivals Espanyol

Published

2 days ago

May 16, 2025

Admin

Barcelona have been crowned champions of LaLiga after a Lamine Yamal-inspired 2-0 win at Espanyol

Second-half goals from Yamal and Fermin Lopez either side of Leandro Cabrera’s sending off for Espanyol secure a league and cup double for head coach Hansi Flick in his first season in charge.

Seventeen-year-old Yamal, a league winner for the second time, found the top corner with a pinpoint, curling strike from the edge of the box to open the scoring after 53 minutes.

Yamal, who Cabrera struck to earn a red card with 10 minutes left, then set up fellow La Masia graduate Lopez in stoppage time to extend their lead against their rivals Espanyol.

Barcelona have dethroned rivals Real Madrid, who they beat in the Copa del Rey final last month.

The treble was still a possibility until earlier this month, when Barcelona were knocked out of the Champions League by Inter Milan in one of the great semi-final ties, losing 7-6 on aggregate.

Barcelona won their 28th Spanish title with two games to spare, but are still some way off matching Real Madrid’s tally of 36.

Sports

U-20 AFCON: South Africa defeat Flying Eagles 1-0 to reach final

Published

2 days ago

May 16, 2025

Admin

Nigeria’s hopes of winning the 2025 CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations have come to an end following a narrow 1-0 defeat to South Africa’s Amajita in Thursday’s semifinal clash, held on May 15, 2025.

Led by coach Aliyu Zubairu, the Flying Eagles entered the contest on the back of a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Senegal in the quarterfinals—a win that also secured their qualification for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup. However, their AFCON journey fell short of the final hurdle.

The semifinal was a tense, tactical encounter, with both sides relying heavily on counter-attacking football. Despite dominating possession, the Flying Eagles struggled to convert their control into clear-cut chances, and the first half ended goalless.

The second half brought a major setback for Nigeria when 15-year-old goalkeeper Ebenezer Ifeanyi-Harcourt was forced off due to injury. He was replaced in the 51st minute by Ajia Soliu Yakub.

Yakub, however, was unable to prevent South Africa from breaking the deadlock. In the 66th minute, Tylon Christopher Smith rose to meet a cross and headed home what would prove to be the match-winner.

Despite late substitutions and a push for an equalizer, Nigeria couldn’t find a way back into the game, allowing South Africa to advance to the final while the Flying Eagles were left to reflect on what might have been.