Nigeria’s talisman, Ademola Lookman has said Atalanta deserved to qualify for the UEFA Champions League following their impressive campaign.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s side confirmed their place in the competition following Monday night’s 2-1 home victory over AS Roma.
Lookman scored Atalanta’s opening goal of the game.
It was the Nigeria international’s 20th goal of the campaign for the Bergamo club.
Atalanta currently occupy third position on the log with two matches left in the campaign.
“It’s a great feeling, we knew the importance of the game today to qualify for the Champions League. We put in a performance tonight that was deserving of that,” Lookman told DAZN.
“I try to be available whenever I can, so that’s important, I try to give my best. The team showed we are strong, there are two more games, we want to finish with as many points as possible.”
Kwara contingent begins camping ahead Gateway Games
The Kwara State contingent to the 22nd National Sports Festival, tagged: “The Gateway Games”, have started closed-camping in preparation for the sports fiesta.
Kwara State Sports Commission’s Head of Media, Feruke Yusuf, announced this in a statement yesterday.
Hesaid the Coach and Executive Chairman of the commission, Bola Mogaji urged coaches to employ tailored training strategies to optimise athletes’ performance at the games.
Mogaji urged them to train adequately as to get to their peak at the festival.
He added that at this stage, the coaches should apply the right training that would be useful to the athletes at the festival.
Mogaji charged the athletes to abide by camp rules and face the business at hand squarely.
He assured the athletes that their open camp allowance would be paid to them without delay while the close camp allowance would be paid before departing for the festival.
The executive chairman said he was once an athlete and he was committed to taking welfare of athletes as a priority.
He told them to report challenges they might face during camping but must follow due process.
Coach Murray, Djokovic part ways ahead of French Open
Andy Murray will no longer coach 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, with the pair’s high-profile partnership coming to an end after only six months, the Briton’s team announced yesterday.
Djokovic appointed fellow former world No 1 Murray ahead of this year’s Australian Open and the Serb said at the Qatar Open in February that he would continue working with Murray for an indefinite period.
However, the partnership will now end as Djokovic looks to arrest a dip in form during the clay season by competing in the Geneva Open next week, ahead of his quest for a fourth French Open title when Roland Garros gets underway on May 25.
“Thanks to Novak for the unbelievable opportunity to work together and thanks to his team for all their hard work over the past six months,” Murray said in a statement.
“I wish Novak all the best for the rest of the season.”
Djokovic, who won 25 of his 36 matches against Murray, said he was grateful for his former rival’s hard work and support in their short spell together.
“I really enjoyed deepening our friendship together,” Djokovic added.
NWFL confirms N200,000 approval for Best Goalkeeper of the Season award
The Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) has officially confirmed that the only approved sponsorship for the 2024/2025 season is the End-of-Season Best Goalkeeper Award, valued at ₦200,000, and sponsored by the Judith Chime Foundation.
The award will be presented at the conclusion of the ongoing NWFL Premiership Super Six, which runs from May 9 to 17, 2025, at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne, Ogun State.
Following the review of a proposal from the Judith Chime Foundation, the NWFL approved only the goalkeeper award in accordance with its operational guidelines and commitment to professionalism.
In a statement, the Chief Operating Officer of the NWFL, Ms. Modupe Shabi, expressed appreciation for the Foundation’s initiative while clarifying the league’s regulatory stance.
“We sincerely appreciate the Judith Chime Foundation’s gesture in rewarding excellence among NWFL Premiership goalkeepers. However, it is important to state that only the N200,000 End-of-Season Best Goalkeeper Award has been formally approved for the 2024/2025 season,” Shabi said.
She also commended Judith Chime, former Super Falcons goalkeeper, for her continued support for women’s football development in Nigeria.
“Judith Chime has consistently demonstrated a deep passion for the women’s game. Her Foundation’s contribution reflects our shared goal of spotlighting talent and dedication within the league,” she added.
To maintain the league’s standards and commercial framework, the NWFL COO emphasized that no other cash prizes or material donations have been sanctioned.
“This decision is part of our commitment to protecting the integrity and value of the NWFL, especially as we continue to attract growing corporate and commercial interest,” Shabi stated.
The NWFL remains open to well-structured, transparent partnerships that align with its vision for the sustainable growth of professional women’s football in Nigeria
Egypt 2025: Zubairu promises better Flying Eagles against South Africa
Flying Eagles Head Coach, Aliyu Zubairu, yesterday assured that the Nigeria U20 squad will be even better when they take on South Africa’s Amajita in the first semi-final of the ongoing CAF U20 Cup of Nations in the city of Ismailia on Thursday evening.
Pundits have praised the seven-time champions for dominating the tough quarter-final encounter against Senegal at the same venue on Monday, before sending the Cup holders out of the tournament after a 3-1 penalty shootout win.
“I believe we are going to have a great semi-final against the South Africans. I can guarantee that our approach will be much better, as the anxiety of whether or not we will earn a FIFA World Cup ticket is no longer there. It was a tense 120 minutes for ourselves and the defending champions on Monday.
“We have the World Cup ticket now and are quite happy. Against South Africa, we will play with great determination and composure, as we aim for the trophy, but without the tense atmosphere around the last match. Of course, we know the little matter of the rivalry between Nigeria and South Africa and what the game means, and we will go in there to do a real battle,” Head Coach Zubairu said yesterday.
The man who led El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri to win last year’s President Federation Cup competition believes his team has improved considerably since the first match against Tunisia on the first day of May.
“We can all see that the team has improved, and actually getting better with each match. We will go all out against the South Africans.”
Apart from their seven titles, Nigeria have also finished as runners-up on two occasions (1999 and 2007), and as bronze medallists on two other occasions as well (2009 and 2013).
To set up a clash with the most-decorated team in the competition’s history, the Amajita had to also endure a 120-minute affray against the Democratic Republic of Congo, also at the same Suez Canal Authority Stadium where the Flying Eagles upended Senegal’s expectations. They won their own game 1-0 after extra time.
Nigeria had collected four of her seven titles (1983, 1985, 1987, 1989) before South Africa (isolated for decades) was assimilated back into global sport following the release of Nelson Mandela from prison in 1990.
Amajita’s first experience of the U20 Africa Cup of Nations was in 1997, and they finished as runners-up to hosts and winners Morocco. Nigeria did not qualify for the finals. Four years later, in Ethiopia, both Nigeria and South Africa finished bottom of their pool and exited at the group stage in what remains Nigeria’s worst outing ever in In 2009, Nigeria defeated South Africa 2-1 for bronze, and four years later defeated Mali by the same margin to also pick up the bronze medals in Algeria.
As hosts in 2011, the Amajita crashed out at the group stage after winning one and losing two matches, while Nigeria roared to her sixth title with a 3-2 defeat of Cameroon in the final in Soweto.
In 2015, Nigeria grabbed her seventh title in Senegal, while South Africa’s campaign ran into the sands in the group stage after losses to Ghana and Mali. Eight years ago, Nigeria didn’t qualify for the competition when South Africa finished in fourth place.
In 2019, in Niger Republic, Nigeria defeated South Africa 5-3 after penalty shootout to win the bronze medals, after both teams had tied scoreless in a group phase encounter.
In the second semi-final on Thursday, hosts and four-time winners Egypt – conquerors of 1999 world champions Ghana -will take on Morocco in Cairo.