Author: Adejuyigbe Francis

Real Madrid missed an opportunity to return to the top of La Liga as they were held to a goalless draw by Rayo Vallecano at the Bernabeu. The result leaves Real second in the table, two points behind leaders Girona who won 4-2 at Osasuna on Saturday. Federico Valverde, Joselu, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr all had chances to score for the hosts. However, the visitors held firm for their first away point in this fixture since 2000. Francisco’s Vallecano team are now unbeaten in their last nine matches in all competitions. They frustrated their more esteemed Madrid neighbours but…

Colombian-born Liverpool footballer Luis Díaz has begged for his father’s kidnappers to free him immediately and “end this painful wait”. Both of Díaz’s parents were seized at gunpoint in his hometown of Barrancas by left-wing guerrillas of the National Liberation Army (ELN) on 28 October. While his mother was found, his father is still missing. Díaz scored a goal against Luton on Sunday, lifting his shirt to reveal the words in Spanish “freedom for papa”. “Every second, every minute our anxiety grows,” Díaz, 26, said in a statement released shortly after the match in England’s Premier League. “My mother, my brothers…

Anthony Gordon’s controversial second-half winner gave Newcastle United victory over Arsenal in a feisty encounter at St James’ Park. Gordon’s scrappy 64th-minute strike summed up a dogfight of a game, with the video assistant referee checking for whether the ball had gone out of play, for a foul and for offside before Newcastle were finally allowed to celebrate. It condemned Arsenal to their first Premier League defeat of the season as referee Stuart Attwell found himself at the centre of several contentious moments even before Gordon’s decider. Newcastle were furious when Kai Havertz escaped a red card for a wild…

Jeremy Doku scored and had a hand in four others as Manchester City romped to a 6-1 victory over Bournemouth which sends them top of the table. The electric Belgian winger played a one-two with Rodri on the half-hour mark before striking home for the opener. Soon afterwards, he set up Bernardo Silva for the first of his two goals, drawing a defender then picking out a pass for the Portuguese star to slide home. A third arrived eight minutes before the break when Doku’s effort was deflected into the Bournemouth net by Manuel Akanji. A fourth arrived just after…

Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu on Saturday allayed fears about his safety following Friday’s air crash near the Ladoke Akintola Airport in Ibadan, Oyo State. A source close to the Minister told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan that Adelabu was in good spirits and not perturbed by the incident. A private aircraft which had the minister and some of his aides on board crash-landed near the airport late Friday evening. ”The minister feels the incident is not something to worry about. It was actually a minor thing, and that is how he has taken it,” an aide…

Giacomo Raspadori scored his third goal in three games as Napoli earned a comfortable 2-0 win over Salernitana in Serie A. After a lively opening from both sides, the reigning Scudetto champions took the lead when Lobotka’s through ball found Raspadori who lashed the ball into the top corner. Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa then kept his side with a string of brilliant saves to deny Raspadori on two occasions and Matteo Politano. Filipo Inzaghi’s side created some decent openings of their own with Lorenzo Pirola forcing a good save with a header from a corner. The second half was a similar…

Bruno Fernandes scored a dramatic winner in stoppage time to give under-pressure Manchester United a priceless 1-0 Premier League win against Fulham at Craven Cottage. The United captain converted Facundo Pellistri’s pass from the edge of the box in the first of five added minutes with a quality finish after Fulham failed to clear the danger to illuminate a largely forgettable match in London. Erik ten Hag’s toiling side had a goal ruled out early on by VAR after Harry Maguire was deemed to be offside in the build-up to a Scott McTominay finish from close range. But they kept…

In a joint statement released on Saturday, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and  Labour Party (LP) have announced that they would both support Dino Melaye in the Kogi state governorship election scheduled for Saturday, November 11. The development comes a week before the state governorship election. The parties disclosed that they took the decision to support Melaye, the PDP governorship candidate, after a wide consultation with stakeholders in the state. The joint statement reads: “We are pleased to announce to you that history has been made today, the 4th of November, 2023. It is a history to salvage our dear state,…

Governor Similanayi Fubara of Rivers State has issued a press statement on the crisis that rocked the state in the past one week. He also called on the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barrister Nyesom Wike, to join him and leverage on their positions and influence within and outside the state to advance the progress, security and well being of Rivers. In a massage he personally signed in Port Harcourt, on Saturday, Fubara apologized to the people of the state over what he described as the regrettable anxieties of the last few days. Tension sparked in the state on…

An aircraft conveying the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, and some of his aides, crash-landed near the Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. The HS 125 aircraft, which is a private jet operated by Flint Aero, crash-landed on Friday night. It was gathered that the aircraft departed Abuja Airport for Ibadan at about 6:41 pm and crash-landed into the bush during an effort to land at about 7:21 pm close to the airport runway in Ibadan. A source told Leadership that the pilot of the aircraft was cleared for landing before the incident, adding that all persons…

Bournemouth earned their first victory of the Premier League season last weekend against Burnley – the win leaves Sheffield United as the only winless side this campaign. Iraola’s next task is to build on that triumph, but there is no tougher assignment than Saturday’s trip to the Etihad Stadium, where the Cherries will face a Manchester City side buoyed by their win in the Manchester derby last week. Though Bournemouth face a gargantuan task on Saturday, Iraola can at least approach the match knowing it is unlikely to decide his future, but a win over Burnley seemed to have bought…

Manchester United take on Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday hoping to get back to winning ways, after enduring arguably their worst start to a season in a long while. United were humiliated by rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford last weekend as Erling Haaland scored twice before Phil Foden netted late on to condemn Erik ten Hag’s men to a comfortable 3-0 defeat, already their fifth loss of the league season. They will be taking on a Fulham side who’ve recorded three wins and as many draws from their first 10 games, while three of their four defeats have…