Category: Sports

Nigeria’s Super Eagles finished the group stage of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations as the competition’s most lethal attacking force, DAILY POST reports.

The Super Eagles won all three group games, a feat only matched by the Desert Foxes of Algeria.

Eric Chelle’s men scored eight goals, with Algeria and Senegal coming close with  seven goals apiece.

Winger Ademola Lookman and Raphael Onyedika are also among the tournament’s top scorer’s with two goals each.

Atalanta star Lookman has also registered two assists.

The Super Eagles will hope to continue their impressive scoring streak when they take on the Mambas of Mozambique in the Round of 16 next Monday.

The encounter will hold at the Complexe Sportif de Fès.

AFCON 2025: Super Eagles finish group stage with most potent attack 

Algeria captain, Riyad Mahrez is currently the joint-top scorer with Morocco duo Brahim Diaz and Ayoub El Kaabi at the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, in Morocco.

Mahrez, Diaz and El Kaabi have three goals each to their names so far in the competition.

They are ahead of the likes of Senegal striker Nicolas Jackson and Tunisia star Elias Achouri, and Nigeria’s Lookman Ademola, among others, on the goal chart.

This is coming ahead of the AFCON Round of 16 stage taking place this weekend.

AFCON top scorers ahead of the last-16 stage, taking place from Saturday to Tuesday.

Three goals – Riyad Mahrez, Brahim Diaz and Ayoub El Kaabi.

Two goals – Nicolas Jackson, Raphael Onyedika, Elias Achouri, Lookman Ademola, Amad Diallo,  Lyle Foster, Mohamed Salah, and Lassine Sinayoko.

One goal – Semi Ajayi, Marvin Anieboh, Wilfred Ndidi, Paul Onuachu and Victor Osimhen.

AFCON top scorers ahead of Round of 16 fixtures

Eight countries have been eliminated from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, tournament in Morocco ahead of the Round of 16 stage.

They are: Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Botswana, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Angola, Zambia and Comoros.

This comes after the conclusion of the AFCON final Group stage fixtures played on Wednesday night.

Recall that Angola failed to progress to the Round of 16 after the likes of Tanzania, Sudan, Mozambique and the Benin Republic qualified as the four best third-place teams ahead of them.

Meanwhile, the fixtures of the Round of 16 stage have already been confirmed.

The last-16 will take place this weekend as Senegal will face Sudan on Saturday evening, while Mali and Tunisia will clash on Saturday night.

AFCON host nation Morocco will tackle Tanzania on Sunday, and South Africa will face Cameroon, while Nigeria will clash with Mozambique on Monday.

AFCON: All 8 countries eliminated ahead of Round of 16 fixtures

Super Eagles forward, Ademola Lookman has insisted that there is no particular team he wants Nigeria to avoid in the knockout stage of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Lookman addressed reporters following Nigeria’s 3-1 victory over Uganda in the final group stage encounter on Tuesday.

The Atalanta player expressed his respect for all teams, emphasizing that for the Super Eagles to win the AFCON title, they must compete against the best.

“No team we want to avoid. I’ve respect for everybody,” Lookman stated at his post-match interview when asked which team he wants Eric Chelle’s side to avoid in the knockout stage.

“If you want to win a tournament you need to play the best. We want to continue to win the games, face everybody in this competition, so we are looking forward to the teams to come ahead. “

Nigeria is set to face Mozambique in the Round of 16 on Monday.

AFCON: Lookman speaks on team he wants Nigeria to avoid in knockout stage

The line-up for the last 16 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, is now confirmed.

This followed the conclusion of matches in Group E and Group F on Wednesday.

The knockouts will kick off on Saturday, January 3 with Senegal taking on Sudan and Mali playing Tunisia.

On Sunday, hosts Morocco clash with Tanzania, while South Africa face Cameroon.

Nigeria will take on Mozambique on Monday and Egypt play Benin Republic.

The Round of 16 fixtures will end with Ivory Coast facing Burkina Faso and Algeria squaring up against DR Congo next Tuesday.

AFCON ROUND OF 16 FIXTURES

Mali vs Tunisia
Senegal vs Sudan
Egypt vs Benin
Ivory Coast vs Burkina Faso
South Africa vs Cameroon
Morocco vs Tanzania
Algeria vs Congo DR
Nigeria vs Mozambique

AFCON 2025: All Round of 16 fixtures confirmed [Full List]

Victor Osimhen has expressed his delight after captaining the Super Eagles in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations Group C encounter against the Cranes of Uganda, DAILY POST reports.

Osimhen was officially appointed the Super Eagles vice-captain few days to the start of the AFCON.

The Galatasaray striker led the team in the 3-1 win over Uganda after head coach, Éric Chelle opted to rest captain Wilfred Ndidi.

It was the first time the 27-year-old will be given the honour.

Osimhen confessed it was a dream come true for him to captain the Super Eagles.

“It’s a dream come true for me because I grew up watching the Super Eagles,” the forward said after the game.

AFCON 2025: Osimhen delighted to captain Super Eagles against Uganda 

Aston Villa’s manager, Unai Emery, has talked about why he didn’t shake hands with Arsenal’s manager, Mikel Arteta, after Villa lost 3-1 to the Gunners on Tuesday night.

The Gunners moved five points ahead of the other Premier League teams again, thanks to a fantastic second-half performance in north London.

Villa might have closed the gap at the top if they had won the match, which was tied 0-0 at halftime.

In the second half, the host team played better than they did in the first period, and Gabriel Magalhaes scored the first goal just three minutes into the second half.

Martin Zubimendi, Leandro Trossard, and Gabriel Jesus each scored goals that helped their team take a large lead in the standings.

In the final moments of the game, Ollie Watkins managed to score a goal that only served as a consolation for Unai Emery’s side.

After the final whistle, Arteta, who couldn’t hide his happiness about the win, didn’t shake hands with Emery.

In his press conference after the game, Emery, who had previously coached Arsenal after Arsene Wenger left the club, spending 18 months at the Emirates, said he was waiting for Arteta but his fellow Spaniard was already celebrating his team’s win.

“After the game ends, I usually quickly shake hands and then leave. Of course Arteta was happy and was with the coaches, and I can’t wait for him. I was there but no problem. I came along to my dressing room,” he  said.

EPL: Why I didn’t shake hands with Mikel Arteta after Arsenal’s 4-1 win – Villa boss, Unai Emery

Uganda goalkeeper, Denis Onyango has insisted that Nigeria ‘punished’ his team because they were desperate for goals.

Onyango was unable to save Uganda as Nigeria defeated them 3-1 in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, encounter on Tuesday.

Uganda had needed a win against Eric Chelle’s side to stand a chance of qualifying for the Round of 16 stage.

But a brace from Raphael Onyedika and a goal from Paul Onuachu ensured the Super Eagles eliminated the Cranes from the AFCON.

Speaking to reporters at his post-match interview, Onyango also hailed the Super Eagles as a quality team.

“We were desperate for goals, and Nigeria punished us,” Onyango said.

“They are a quality side,” the Mamelodi Sundowns shot-stopper added.

Meanwhile, more AFCON final Group game fixtures will take place today.

Ivory Coast will face Gabon, Mozambique will clash with Cameroon, Sudan will take on Burkina Faso, and Algeria will square off against Equatorial Guinea.

AFCON: Why Nigeria punished us – Uganda goalkeeper, Denis Onyango

Super Eagles midfielder Raphael Onyedika has explained how he was able to score two goals in Nigeria’s 3-1 victory over Uganda.

He also hailed Samuel Chukwueze who helped set up both of his goals in Nigeria’s 3-1 victory against Uganda in the final Group C match at the Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON,  in Morocco on Tuesday evening.

The Club Brugge midfielder netted twice in the second half and was awarded Man of the Match for his excellent performance at the Fez Stadium in Morocco.

After the game, Onyedika praised Chukwueze’s performance and explained that the goal-scoring combination was something they had practiced during training.

“It’s exactly what we train for, so it’s just a matter of seconds. You have to make a decision, and sometimes when you decide, it doesn’t happen right away, but you just have to be ready,” he said.

“I know Samuel really well, and every time he dribbles, he always looks for the first person and then cuts back. I try to stay in that position as much as I can, and today I was in a good spot again.”

The Club Brugge midfielder was happy to win the Man of the Match award and said it was the result of all his hard work over the years.

“I feel really happy and I can’t explain why.  This is the moment I’ve been working for my whole life, and I’m really happy it finally happened,” he said.

Nigeria won their match and finished first in Group C with nine points, which allowed them to move on to the next round.

How I scored two goals against Uganda – Onyedika

Manchester United’s former player, Rio Ferdinand has changed his prediction on who will win the Premier League title this season.

The competition is getting more intense with Arsenal, Manchester City, and Aston Villa all fighting for the top spot.

Arsenal, who have not won the Premier League since 2004, have been the main contenders for most of the season after starting off very strongly.

The Gunners have come in second place in each of the past three years, but they have one of the strongest teams in the league thanks to a great summer of player signings.

Even though they had many injuries, Mikel Arteta’s team won hard against Brighton and defeated Aston Villa 4-1 on Tuesday, which means they will start the New Year at the top of the league table.

Pep Guardiola’s team had a tough season and did not defend their title last year, but they look more energized now after spending a lot of money in January and during the summer.

Ferdinand thinks that because City had won eight games straight in every competition, the team might be gaining positive momentum, which could be helping them more than Arsenal, who he thought would win the title at the beginning of the season.

Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel that he predicted Arsenal would finish first before any game started, but if he were betting right now, he would choose City.

“I want Arsenal to win the title, but with how things are going right now, Manchester City might just end up winning it,” he said.

Heading into the New Year, Arsenal have a tough month ahead in the league, with games against Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester United in January.

Ferdinand thinks the Gunners’ chance to win the title will depend on how they play and how well they can get good results against the teams that are lower in the league.

He said, “I think Arsenal had a good lead, but now some teams have caught up again.”

“I think you have to smell blood. You’ve been near enough in the last few seasons and just missed out, so I think you need to sense the opportunity early and take it head-on.”

EPL: Rio Ferdinand changes title prediction after recent results