Enjoy England Ride, Captain Wayne Rooney Tells Harry Kane 

Harry Kane, 21, has been drafted into the England squad by manager Roy Hodgson after scoring 29 goals this season and could make his debut in Friday's 2016 European Championship qualifier at home to Lithuania. 

 England captain Wayne Rooney has beseeches his new team-mate Harry Kane to savoir the experience as the Tottenham Hotspur striker prepares for his first taste of international football.

Kane, 21, has been drafted into the England squad by manager Roy Hodgson after scoring 29 goals this season and could make his debut in Friday's 2016 European Championship qualifier at home to Lithuania.
It is over 12 years since Rooney made his England debut at the age of 17, in a friendly against Australia at Upton Park, and he has encouraged Kane to relish every second of his international career.
"When you're playing for your country, the one thing you want to do is enjoy it," Rooney told journalists at the England team hotel in Watford, north of London on Thursday.
"And listen to your friends and family and coaches, because if you start listening to people from the outside or reading too much of what is in the press about how good you want to be or how well you did or didn't do, it does affect your mind.
"So enjoy it and keep doing what he's doing, concentrate on his football. I'm sure he'll have a good career if he does that. It took me a few years (to realise that)."
Hodgson refused to reveal whether Kane would start against Lithuania, but Rooney predicted that the youngster would face a nervous night's sleep regardless.
"He'll be lying in bed tonight (Thursday) hoping that he'll make his England debut tomorrow," said Rooney, who described Kane's recent displays as "sizzling".
"I can imagine that. I know because I've felt the same feeling, the excitement he'll have tonight."
A sell-out crowd of 90,000 is expected at Wembley, but Hodgson believes Kane will be able to handle the attention.

 

 

 

Rafael Nadal will start his bid to win a third Wimbledon title by returning to the grass-court tournament at Queen's Club later this year.

Nadal, a 14-time Grand Slam champion, has reached the Wimbledon final in each of the five years he played at Queen's, but UK tax laws forced the world number three to turn his back on the west London event.
The 28-year-old Spaniard had instead prepared for Wimbledon by playing in Germany at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle in recent years.
Since his last visit to Queen's in 2011, Nadal has failed to get past the fourth round at the All England Club and the former world number one, who last won Wimbledon in 2010, has decided to return after a three-year absence.
"I'm very happy to be back," said Nadal, who won the Queen's title in 2008.
"Queen's is a great event, I always enjoyed it. I had some great feelings there, the atmosphere of the Club - a real tennis club - is very special, the courts are unbelievable.
"I enjoyed Halle but the results have not been perfect for me in Halle, so I want to try Queen's again where the grass courts are a little bit more similar to Wimbledon. That's the reason for my decision."
Former Wimbledon winner Andy Murray, defending Queen's champion Grigor Dimitrov and 2014 Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka are among the leading players already confirmed to appear at the event in June.

Brazil recorded their seventh successive victory since their 2014 World Cup humiliation as they came from behind to beat France in Paris.

Raphael Varane powerfully headed in Mathieu Valbuena's left-wing corner to put the French ahead.
But Oscar equalised when he linked up with Roberto Firmino and poked the ball past France goalkeeper Steve Mandanda.
Neymar made it 2-1 as he collected Willian's pass and shot past Mandanda before Luiz Gustavo headed in a third.
The victory maintains Dunga's 100% record since he took charge of Brazil for a second time in July.
He is helping to restore some pride to Brazilian football after the side suffered their heaviest ever World Cup defeat when they were  thrashed 7-1 by Germany in the World Cup semi-final  in Belo Horizonte.
Luiz Felipe Scolari resigned as coach after the tournament  ,which also saw Brazil lose 3-0 against the Netherlands in the third-fourth play-off.
Only two of the first XI from that Germany defeat started in Paris and Dunga will be pleased with their fightback after they fell behind to Varane's 21st-minute header.
Chelsea midfielder Oscar equalised before Neymar put the South Americans ahead with his eighth goal in seven internationals.

Balogun Plays Down Injury Scare

Super Eagles defender Leon Balogun has allayed fears that he got injured in Wednesday’s international friendly match against Uganda which the Eagles lost 1-0.
Balogun who plies his trade with Darmstadt, in the German lower division, made his second appearance for the Eagles against Uganda but was substituted in the second half due to a knock.
He wrote on his Twitter page: “Any information about me being injured is wrong – I’m fine by the grace of God.”
Balogun went on to hail Vincent Enyeama for making his 100th appearances for Nigeria and expressed disappointment for the loss.
“Really enjoyed playing my 2nd cap for the Super Eagles. Glad to be part of Vincent’s 100th, the loss was unlucky though.”

 Amir Khan believes Floyd Mayweather will win ‘the fight of the century’ against Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas on May 2.

The Bolton fighter was in talks about facing both superstars before they agreed to meet in their welterweight world championship unification fight at the MGM Garden Arena, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
Khan said “It’s going to be a great fight and I think five years ago it would have been ever better because they were both at their peak and it was a fight that everyone was dying to see.

  Manny Pacquiao has had two defeats. He’s been knocked out once by (Juan Manuel) Marquez and then he got beat by (Timothy) Bradley which was a little controversial, but I think Mayweather will take the fight.

“He will be much smarter and he’ll pick his shots a little bit better. He’ll make it a little boring at times because Manny, as we know, is a come-forward fighter who likes to do a lot of punches.
“But Mayweather will try to avoid all those punches and just maybe throw that one shot that will count and then move away again. But time will tell.
“I’ve been watching Mayweather train on social media and he has been training very hard so he might come up with a different gameplan this fight, something that we have not seen before.

INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY :NIGERIA VS UGANDA

25TH MARCH,2015

AKWA IBOM STADIUM,UYO

Fernando Alonso closer to return in Malaysia after concussion tests

Fernando Alonso will fly to Malaysia for the grand prix on 29 March after having tests to establish whether he has recovered from concussion.

The McLaren driver missed the season's first race in Australia on 15 March after crashing in pre-season testing
His adviser Luis Garcia Abad refused to confirm reports in Spain that Alonso had got the all-clear after the tests.
"It is private so I cannot confirm or deny it, but I have no doubts he will go to Malaysia as planned," he said.
The Marca and As newspapers said Alonso had been given short- and long-term memory and reflex tests in Cambridge on Sunday.
Alonso had been keen to do the tests before flying to Malaysia this week, to do everything he could to ensure there would be no problems with his plans to return to the cockpit.
The tests were conducted by an independent board of three eminent physicians at Cambridge University, set up by Formula 1's governing body the FIA as an extra medical panel when required.
Spaniard Alonso, a double world champion, will have further tests on his arrival at the Sepang track this week, among them a full assessment of his recovery from concussion and cognitive function, called an Impact test.
Following his apparent all-clear from the doctors at Cambridge, there is now no reason to believe Alonso will not also pass the tests in Malaysia and race next weekend as scheduled.
The 33-year-old also   completed a season in McLaren's simulator earlier this week without problems.
McLaren say they will be guided by official medical advice when they receive it.

 

 

Mo Farah breaks European half marathon record in Lisbon win

Double Olympic champion Mo Farah has won the Lisbon half marathon in a new European record time, becoming the first Briton to break 60 minutes.

The 31-year-old won the 13.1-mile race in 59 minutes, 32 seconds, to knock 20 seconds off the record set 14 years ago by Spain's Fabian Roncero.
Farah, also world champion at 5,000m and 10,000m, beat Kenya's Micah Kogo.
The world record of 58:23 was set by Eritrea's Zersenay Tadese in the 2010 edition of the Lisbon race.
Farah's only world record is the two-mile indoor mark he set at the Birmingham Grand Prix  last month.
He clocked a time of one hour exactly in winning 2014's Great North Run  becoming the first British man to win the North East's famous half marathon for 29 years.
Kenya's Kogo, the 10,000m bronze medallist from the Beijing Olympics in 2008, was one of six men lining up against Farah to have already run under 60 minutes for the distance.
There was also British success in the wheelchair races for David Weir and Shelly Woods who continued their preparations for next month's London Marathon, which also doubles as the IPC World Championships.
Weir beat Swiss rival Marcel Hug in a photo-finish while Woods got the better of British rival Jade Jones.

 

 

Dutee Chand: Indian sprinter starts appeal against 'gender test' ban

Chand, 19, has not been allowed to compete since last summer after failing a gender test
The test revealed her body produced natural levels of testosterone above International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) guidelines.
Her legal team will argue the ruling is discriminatory and flawed.
There is currently no similar assessment for male athletes.
The landmark case against the IAAF and Athletics Federation of India started on Monday at CAS in Lausanne, Switzerland and is expected to last up to four days.
A final judgement could take weeks or even months.
Chand was forced to miss the Commonwealth Games and Asia Games after failing the test but refused medical treatment to help make her eligible.
Her appeal is the first to challenge rules the IAAF introduced in the wake of the Caster Semenya affair in 2009.

 

       

 Zambia Coach;Dream Team should Forget All Africa Games.

–Zambia Coach tells U23 Eagles to forget the competition

Despite his inability to beat Zambia at home in Sunday’s 2015 All Africa Games qualifier, National U-23 Eagles coach Samson Siasia says his team should not be ruled out of the competition yet, saying they have what it takes to win the return leg match in Lusaka.

The former Super Eagles handler who spoke to Sportsyan crew in Abuja after the first leg match ended 0-0, said the team still has a good chance of qualifying for the competition billed to hold in Congo later in the year.

“It is unfortunate that the match ended goalless but I want to assure Nigerians that we can still qualify for the competition. If they could play a draw here, we can as well beat them in Lusaka.

We are going to work on the team’s lapses and make sure the players get better before the return leg match. The attackers were goal shy today but we are hopeful that they will get it right in the second leg match.

Meanwhile, Zambia coach Fighton Simukonda has expressed happiness over the 0-0 goalless draw played on Sunday, saying they got what they planned for in the match.

Simukonda has also said Nigeria should forget the All Africa Games as he boasted that his boy will beat the Dream Team in Lusaka.

“I am happy with this result because things worked the way we planned it, we knew Nigeria has quality players and we came with the mind of at least picking a draw and we got it. We decided to be defensive in the match and that really helped us”, says Simukonda.

“Nigeria should forget the All Africa Games because we are going to beat them in Lusaka”, he added.

The return leg match holds in two weeks’ time in Lusaka.

Oliver Giroud at the the double for Arsenal edge past Newcastle

Olivier Giroud's double helped Arsenal to a 2-1 victory at St James' Park, although they were made to sweat by Newcastle's second-half rally.
Giroud's early brace appeared to have put Arsenal in firm control of the game and they should have extended their lead when great chances fell to Danny Welbeck and Aaron Ramsey. It appeared Arsene Wenger's side were cruising towards a win.
However, the second period saw Newcastle launch an impressive fight-back, with Moussa Sissoko's goal immediately restoring confidence. Arsenal looked leggy after their midweek trip to Monaco, but managed to hold on to claim a valuable three points in the race for Champions League qualification.

A late minute goal from the hosts ensured they shared points with the reigning African queens in the 2015 All African Games qualifier played on Saturday evening

Nigeria's senior women national team were held to a 1-1 draw by Mali in the second round, first leg match of the Caf Women All Africa Games qualifiers on Saturday.

Ngozi Okobi's solitary goal was not enough to hand the country the needed victory as a late equalizer from the hosts ensured the encounter ended in no winner, no vanquished state in Bamako.

The Super Falcons failed to convert many chances created in the first half as the opening 45 minutes ended scoreless.

In the second half, Okobi put the Nigerian side ahead in the 52nd minute before the hosts levelled up in the injury time of the encounter which ended in a 1-1 draw.

Edwin Okon's ladies who holds away goal and point advantage will hosts Mali in the final qualifying round, second leg which will take place on April 4 in Abuja

 

 

Man City Vs West Brom: Citizens Regroup From UCL Flame-out

 As the drama surrounding Manuel Pellegrini’s job status heightens, the chances of Manchester City winning any silverware are dwindling with near-similar velocity.

Trying to regroup from their Champions League flameout, the reigning Premier League champions try to keep Chelsea in their sights today (Saturday) when they host West Bromwich Albion.

For the second straight year, Man City’s European campaign ended in the round of 16 at the hands of Spanish power Barcelona. Pellegrini’s men were unable to overturn a 2-1 first-leg deficit Wednesday, losing 1-0 at the Camp Nou on a goal by Ivan Rakitic.

The scoreline, however, was highly flattering to City as goalkeeper Joe Hart turned in arguably his best performance in a No. 1 shirt for the club, finishing with 10 saves and preventing the superstar trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez from finding the back of the net.

Hart, though, wanted no part of any accolades for his performance and knows City must rebound and avoid a third consecutive loss in all competitions to have any chance of erasing a six-point deficit to Chelsea – who also has a match in hand – with nine games left.

“We’ve got to (refocus),” Hart told City’s official website. “There are going to be tired people but we’ve got a fantastic squad here and we’ve got people. I’m certainly going to be ready. … That’s the club that we are now, our sole purpose is the Premier League and we’re going to show that on Saturday.”

The lack of trophies in City’s cabinet has prompted speculation Pellegrini could be removed by season’s end, a move that has precedence with the ownership group’s clumsy and eventual removal of predecessor Roberto Mancini to make way for Pellegrini prior to City’s 2013-14 title-winning season. The Chilean manager has brushed aside the rumours as City look to maintain a top-four spot for a Champions League return.

West Brom meanwhile, have more modest aspirations in seeking to secure their top-flight status for next season. The Baggies are 13th on 33 points – eight points clear from the relegation spots – as manager Tony Pulis has again rescued a team from the threat of being sent down.

Pulis’ charges recovered from a pair of losses to Aston Villa, including an FA Cup defeat, to beat Stoke City 1-0 last Saturday. Brown Ideye’s goal in the 19th minute proved decisive for West Brom, who are out to end a nine-match winless spell (0-5-4) outside The Hawthorns in league play dating to their 1-0 win at Leicester City on Nov. 1.

“There are a few teams that are a few points behind us but if you want to start looking at things like that you will soon find yourself slipping away,” defender Gareth McAuley said.

“We’ve got a lot to play for with these nine games left.”

This match starts a difficult run-in to the end of the season for the Baggies, who will play Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal among their final five matches. Scraping out points ahead of that gauntlet will all but certainly determine if Pulis’ rejuvenation skills again come to fruition.

“May is a bit of a lottery for us,” McAuley conceded. “We’ve got a really difficult group of matches in our last four or five games so the last thing we can afford to be is complacent.”

City ran out 3-1 winners at The Hawthorns on Boxing Day as Fernando, Yaya Toure and David Silva all scored in the first 34 minutes. Manchester City have won six straight between the teams by a 16-5 aggregate and are unbeaten in their last nine (8-1-0) league matches versus the Baggies.

 

 

FLYING EAGLES DOWN SATELLITES,TO PLAY FINAL

Two goals by Obinna Nwobodo and Musa Mohammed were all Nigeria’s Flying Eagles needed on Wednesday evening to reach the final of the 2015 CAF U20 Youth Championship in Senegal.
Ghana started the game strongly and thought they had won a penalty in the 3rd minute when Yaw Yeboah tumbled in the Nigerian box. The referee blew for a freekick.
Nigeria keeper Joshua Enaholo claimed the ball bravely from Yeboah in the 9th minute, the Ghana medics required to attend to the Ghanaian youngster from the challenge he had with Enaholo. The Nigerian keeper showed superb reflexes when he palmed the ball away for a corner a minute later.
Nigeria’s first real chance to score came in the 15th minute of the game. Taiwo Awoniyi laid an incisive pass to Usman Sale who opted to cut inside rather than shooting with his left foot. Sale was proving to be a liability for his team this early in the game as he missed another chance in the 19th minute.
The goal eventually came for Nigeria in the 23rd minute. Musa Mohammed’s corner found Obinna Nwobodo who leaps back, generated some energy and powerfully nods the ball which hit the upright, bounced off the keeper’s arm and nestled inside the net. Nigeria 1-0 Ghana.
Skipper Musa Mohammed scored Nigeria’s second goal of the game and his fourth penalty of the competition with 20 minutes to play. The right back was brought down by Ghana defender,Asmah. Mohammed blasted home the ball, sending the pockets of Nigerian fans at the stadium to wild jubilation.

 

Rosberg stays ahead in second practice

 Nico Rosberg held onto his position at the top of the timesheets during Friday afternoon's second free practice session for the Australian Grand Prix, again edging out Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

After the initial Medium tyre runs, Rosberg produced a best time of 1:27.697 on the Soft compound, exactly one tenth faster than Hamilton.

Ferrari duo Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen this time finished as the best of the rest, seven tenths and 1.1 seconds adrift respectively.

Hamilton threatened to usurp Rosberg on his Option-tyre run, going fastest of all through the middle sector, but ultimately placed second.

Valtteri Bottas was 1.5s off the pace in fifth, acting alone for Williams after a water leak was discovered on team-mate Felipe Massa's power unit.

Red Bull was another team to field just one car in the session, with Daniel Ricciardo requiring an engine change after his troubled opening session.

Daniil Kvyat went on to place sixth, just ahead of Toro Rosso rookie Carlos Sainz Jr., who survived a spin at Turn 15 after touching the grass.

Lotus drivers Pastor Maldonado and Romain Grosjean – who also escaped wild moments – followed in eighth and ninth, while Force India's Nico Hülkenberg completed the top 10.

Sauber made its first appearance of the event amid its legal dispute with Giedo van der Garde, with Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson the two drivers getting track time.

Nasr ended the session 11th, with Ericsson 15th after being forced to return to the pits with damage at the left-rear, picked up when he ran over the exit kerb at the final corner.

There were yet more problems for McLaren-Honda, as Kevin Magnussen lost control of his car and slid into the barriers at Turn 6 early in the session, bringing out the red flags.

Jenson Button wound up 13th in the sister MP4-30, between Force India's Sergio Pérez, and Toro Rosso's Max Verstappen, who was restricted to just six laps due to a battery issue.

Manor again failed to run either Will Stevens or Roberto Merhi, with work continuing to reinstall software wiped ahead of the team's planned auction, which was cancelled at a late stage.

 

 

 

 

 

The reigning African queens will slug it out with the Lokoja-based club side in a friendly this weekend ahead of their final round of the All African Games qualifying series

The Super Falcons will face Women Premier League side Confluence Queens in a friendly match to be played at the Fifa Goal Project pitch, Abuja on Saturday.
Teams media officier Gracious Akujobi said the Super Falcons have contacted the management of the Queens for a 'tough' friendly game in preparation for their double-header against Mali this month.
The Falcons have only played two friendly games, both against Yahaya Football Academy which ended in 3-3 and 1-1 draws last Saturday and Wednesday respectively, since they resumed camp on Sunday, February 22.
“We’ll play Confluence Queens from Lokoja in a friendly match on Saturday at the Fifa Goal Project ground in Abuja,
“We expect them to give us a good fight and high quality game ahead of the All African Games qualifier against Mali in Bamako. We’ve been playing a men's team since we resumed camp and have played draws in both games," she concluded.
Edwin Okon's ladies will travel to Bamako for the first leg of the 2015 AAG qualifying fixture scheduled for March 22 with the reverse fixture a forthnight later.
The African representatives at the 2015 Women's World Cup will also play the Malians in the qualifiers of the women’s football tournament for the 2016 Olympic Games billed in May.

Oyedeji, Ugboaja Join D’Tigers

–Ahead of African Championship qualifier Against Burkina Faso
Former NBA star, Olumide Oyedeji has joined the national men’s basketball team, D’Tigers ahead of Saturday’s FIBA –Africa Basketball Championship qualifier against Burkina Faso.
Oyedeji who was part of the team that won bronze at the 2011 African Championship in Madagascar, was brought in by Coach Sani Ahmed to make the team stronger ahead of the qualifiers for both the FIBA tournament billed to hold in Tunisia later in the year and the All Africa Games scheduled for Congo.
Complete Basketball Magazine can also report that Ejike Ugboaja who represented Mark Mentors Basketball Club at the last African Club competition in Tunisia has also joined the team in Abuja.
Spokesman of the team, Akinkunle Bolarinwa who disclosed this to Complete Basketball Magazine said the two highly experienced players were drafted to the team to boost their mentality and make the dream of qualifying for the African Championship a reality.
“Both Oyedeji and Ugboaja are in camp now training with the team but I can’t say much about their status. From what I have seen since they arrived in camp is that their presence has been able to boost the players mentality and morale ahead of the match”, says Bolarinwa
Meanwhile, the team is expected to travel to Burkina Faso on Friday for the match scheduled for Saturday.
It would be recalled that the match had to be delayed till now due to the crisis in Burkina Faso but after several meetings with both the Nigeria Basketball Federation and the Burkina federation, the match has finally been scheduled for Saturday.
Meanwhile, Coach Sani Ahmed has assured that his team will give their best to make sure they win the away match while calling on Nigerians to support the team in their bid to qualify for the FIBA-African Championship.
“We are ready for the match and we are going to work really hard to make sure we give our best and I will also like to call on Nigerians to support the team in the bid to qualify for the Tunisia tournament”, he said

Blatter Salutes F/Eagles On U20 W/ Cup Qualification

FIFA President Sepp Blatter has congratulated the Flying Eagles after their qualification for the U-20 World Cup taking place this year in New Zealand.
The Flying Eagles secured Nigeria’s qualification by reaching the semi-finals of the ongoing CAF U20 AYC in Senegal after they defeated Congo 4-1 in their second group game with a game in hand.
“Congratulations! Nigeria, 1st African team to qualify for U20 World Cup,” Blatter wrote on his twitter page.
Meanwhile, in group A other game, Senegal played 2-2 with Cote d’Ivoire.
Flying Eagles will take on Cote d’Ivoire on Saturday while host Senegal squares up against Congo.

Nigeria Now 41st In The World, 7th In Africa

Nigeria climbed one place up in the latest FIFA ranking released on Thursday morning by the Federation of International Football Federation (FIFA).
The Super Eagles, dethroned as African champions this year, were ranked 42nd in February but having garnered 701 points following their previous 664 point so ensured a slight improvement in the ratings of the FIFA memeber nations.
Nigeria, still without a substantive coach, albeit Stephen Keshi is expected to be offered a new deal by the Nigeria Football Federation, is ranked as the 7th best national team in Africa behind Algeria, Cote d’ Ivoire, Ghana, Tunisia, Senegal and Cape Verde. Guinea, Congo DR and Cameroon make up the Top 10 teams on the African continent.
Equatorial Guinea, Mali, Congo, Gabon, South Africa, Egypt, Zambia, Rwanda, Burkina Faso and Uganda are the 11 to 20th best sides in Africa in that order.
The biggest climbers of the month are Barbados (131st) and Bermuda (169th), both of whom have risen by 11 places by virtue of a win and a draw each in their friendlies in the Carribeans.
With Northern Ireland (43rd, up 8) back in the top 50 and Congo dropping three places down to 52nd, the composition of the top 50 has changed slightly in favour of UEFA, which is currently represented by 29 teams, followed by CAF (11), CONMEBOL (6), CONCACAF (3) and the AFC (1), while the OFC has none.
Israel had the biggest move by points garnered as they rose by 75 points, while Lebanon had the biggest drop by points and ranks with 90 points and 11 ranks respectively.
The best-ranked teams by confederation are Germany (1st), Argentina (2nd), Costa Rica (13th), Algeria (18th), Iran (42nd) and New Zealand (134th).
Germany, Argentina, Colombia, Belgium, Holland, Brazil, Portugal, France, Uruguay and Italy make up the world’s Top 10 best teams. Former world champions, Spain, drop to the 11th position in the world.
The next FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking will be published on 9 April 2015.
Nigeria are expected to play Bolivia and South Africa in two international friendlies in March 2015.

 

 Flying Eagles Reach AYC Semi-Final

Nigeria’s U20 national side, the Flying Eagles have qualified for the semi-finals of the CAF U20 Youth Championship in Senegal after Wednesday’s 4-1 win over Congo.
Taiwo Awoniyi produced a Man-of-the-Match performance scoring once and winning two penalties for his team.
Ifeanyi Matthew latched unto Bernard Bulbwa’s pass and dispatched the ball after a great close control in the 5th minute of the game for Nigeria’s first goal of the evening.
Ifeanyi Matthew missed a great chance nine minutes later, shooting wide from an Awoniyi good pass.
Nigeria keeper Joshua Enaholo was red-carded for a foul on a Congo forward, moments after Nigeria had threatened to score. Olorunleke Ojo came on for Enaholo.
The game was temporarily suspended for upward of three minutes after the incident leading to the red card as medics attended to the player upended by the Nigerian keeper.
In the 33rd minute of the game, Taiwo Awoniyi won a penalty after he is brought down by Congo defender, Miguel Itoua Mamic. Musa Mohammed scores from the spot. Nigeria 2-0 Congo.
Substitute keeper Olorunleke Ojo tipped over the bar Hardy Binguila’s half volley for a corner four minutes later.
Congo’s Deldy Goyi could not wrap his foot round the ball from a Silvere Mbou’s knock down in the 48th minute. Ball was saved by keeper Olorunleke Ojo of Nigeria.
Taiwo Awoniyi won Nigeria another penalty as he is brought down by Cosme Atoni Mavoungou in the 55th minute. Musa Mohammed scores from the spot to put Nigeria three goals up.
Congo scores what proved only a consolation goal as Faria Ondongo’s cross is smashed home by Mbou from six yards in the 65th minute, few seconds after Awoniyi’s textbook header was tipped over for a corner.
Taiwo Awoniyi scored Nigeria’s fourth goal in the 86th minute of the game. The striker lofts the ball over the head of Cosme Atoni, then controls brilliantly with his chest, before unleashing a stupendous thunderous finish.
The Eagles held possession until the final whistle. Manu Garba’s team now have six points from the two games thus far.
The Nigerian side will play Cote d’ Ivoire in their last Group A game on Saturday.

David Luiz apologizes for celebrating against Chelsea

Paris Saint-Germain defender David Luiz has apologized to Chelsea fans for celebrating the goal which contributed to the Blues' exit from the Champions League on Wednesday.

The Brazil center back netted the 86th-minute equalizer that sent the match to extra time, before Thiago Silva cancelled out Eden Hazard's 96th-minute penalty to take the score to 3-3 on aggregate and send PSG through.

The goals only tell half the story, though, with PSG star Zlatan Ibrahimovic controversially sent off in the first half before Gary Cahill put Chelsea ahead with nine minutes to go.

The modern-day etiquette is to not celebrate against a former club - Danny Welbeck incurred the wrath of some Manchester United fans following his winner for Arsenal at Old Trafford only on Monday - but Luiz, who was at Stamford Bridge from 2011 to 2014, did not hold back.

"My cycle finished in Chelsea, PSG gave me a great opportunity to continue my career," Luiz told Sky Sports 5. "I was very h

"Thank you to Chelsea and sorry I celebrated because I was so emotional."

appy at Chelsea. I respect everyone. Tonight was good for me to score. I said I wouldn't celebrate but my emotions I couldn't control.

JOSE MOURINHO HAS SET HIS SIGHTS FIRMLY ON WINNING THE PREMIER LEAGUE AFTER AFTER BEING DUMPED OUT OF THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE.

Chelsea Manager Jose Mourinho has admitted that Chelsea "couldn't cope" with Paris Saint-Germain after his side was knocked out of the Champio

The French champion - which had Zlatan Ibrahimovic sent off in the first half - twice came from behind to draw 2-2 and progress to the quarterfinals on away goals, and Mourinho was dissatisfied with the way his side failed to nullify PSG's threat.

"Of course, we had the game in our hands twice but I think the opponent was stronger than us," he told Sky Sports. "They coped better than us with the pressure of the game. I think with them at 10 men we felt the pressure of winning even more.

"They had nothing to lose, they just played their game. We couldn't cope with that. We conceded two goals from set pieces where the organisation is clear, where the markers have to decide and the players in the zone are the same. We conceded two goals that were difficult to accept."

Mourinho, though, says that Chelsea must now turn its focus to the Premier League as the club attempts to win the domestic title.

"I told my players as I always do that it's not after the match that I kick tables and doors," he added. "It's time to be calm and analyse the team because we have a game on Sunday and we have to win the Premier League.

"We are playing to win the Premier League and we have more matches to play."

ns League on Wednesday evening, but insists the Blues cannot dwell on their disappointment.

DANNY WELBECK HAUNT MANCHESTER UNITED

Danny Welbeck came back to haunt 10-man Manchester United as Arsenal claimed a 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final victory at Old Trafford on Monday.
The England international marked his first return to his former club since leaving for north London during the close-season by capitalizing on a weak Antonio Valencia backpass in the 61st minute and sending holders Arsenal into the last four.
Nacho Monreal had given the visitors the lead with just his second goal for the club in the 25th minute, but Wayne Rooney restored parity by heading in from a superb Angel di Maria cross soon after.
Welbeck had the final say, though, as he rounded David de Gea to roll into an empty net for Arsenal’s first win at United since 2006.
Di Maria saw red late on for a tug on referee Michael Oliver’s shirt immediately after being booked, and United’s focus now switches to chasing down a top-four finish in the Premier League.
Welbeck was chosen ahead of Olivier Giroud in the Arsenal XI, while Luke Shaw came into the home defence as Marcos Rojo shifted into the centre to cover for the absent Jonny Evans, suspended for six matches over the weekend for spitting at Newcastle United striker Papiss Cisse last week.

 AHMED MUSA HIT BRACE

Super Eagles winger and Former Kano Pillars Winger Ahmed Musa raced to the top of the goalscorers’ chart in Russia on Saturday when he scored a brace, to help his team CSKA Moscow defeat Terek Grozny 2-1.
The former Kano Pillars ace has now played in 19 games in the Russian top flight and amassed 9 goals. He is one goal short of his best ever tally in Russia in the 2012/2013 season.
Musa scored the game’s opening goal on the dot of half time to send his team one goal up into the break.
However Grozny level things up just a minute pass the hour mark through Igor Lebedenko but Musa ensured his team had the last laugh when he popped up with the winner 15 minutes from full time.
In the build up to the game Musa admitted he was feeling the weight of responsibility following the departure of Seydou Doumbia in January to AS Roma.
The brace will undoubtedly take off some of the pressure he talked about as CSKA Moscow aim to put pressure on league leaders Zenith St. Petersburg.
Meanwhile after the game Musa dedicated his goals to his family as reported
“I dedicate my goals against Terek Grozny to my lovely wife, Jemila and son, (Musa).
“They deserve the honour because they have been there for me always. They are source of inspiration and encouragement to me.”
Musa is expected to be part of the Eagles team that will play against Bolivia and South Africa in friendlies on the 26th and 29th of March.