Category: Sports

Former Real Madrid attacking midfielder, Rafael van der Vaart, has hit out at Vinicius after the club’s Champions League quarter-final first leg 2-1 defeat to Bayern Munich on Tuesday.

The Dutchman described Vinicius’ antics during the encounter against the Bundesliga giants as “awful.”

Vinicius was unable to make a significant impact against Bayern as goals from Luis Diaz and Harry Kane gave the visitors the victory against the Los Blancos.

Speaking with AS (via GOAL), Van der Vaart slammed Vinicius, saying, “It’s awful.

“Watching him play makes me angry. I feel very sorry for him because he is a brilliant player.

“But every time he touches the ball, even just a slight touch, he throws himself to the ground hoping the opponent gets a red card, then gets up as if nothing happened. That is what saddens me about him.”

UCL: It’s awful – Ex-Real Madrid midfielder, Van der Vaart blasts Vinicius

Nationwide League One, NLO, side FC One Rocket have appointed Otobong Daniel as their new head coach for the new season.

Otobong takes over from former handler of the club, Itoro Xavier.

The new tactician will be assisted by Universe Asuquo Udo.

FC One Rocket announced the technical shake-up on their social media handle on Tuesday.

“We are pleased to announce the appointment of Otobong Daniel as our new Head Coach,” FC One Rocket stated.

“Coach Oto will have Universe Asuquo Udo as his Assistant Coach.”

NLO: Otobong appointed new head coach of FC One Rocket

Manchester United legend, Paul Scholes, has named Paris Saint-Germain as the ‘best team in the world’ at the moment.

The former England international stated this while speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast.

He heaped praises on the French Ligue 1 champions, calling them an “unbelievable” side.

Scholes also tipped PSG to eliminate Liverpool in the Champions League quarter-finals and march into the semis.

“PSG are unbelievable. I still expect them to go through [against Liverpool], but it wouldn’t shock me if Liverpool won. It could happen—I just don’t see it right now,” Scholes explained.

“Right now, PSG are probably the best team in the world,” he added.

The Parisians are the reigning European champions, having lifted the trophy in 2025.

Meanwhile, PSG head coach, Luis Enrique has played down favoritism, insisting there is no clear front-runner at this stage of the competition.

UCL: They’re unbelievable – Paul Scholes names best team in the world

Real Madrid striker, Kylian Mbappe, has put his name into Champions League history by becoming only the seventh player ever to net 14 goals plus in a single campaign.

The French captain joined an exclusive list featuring Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi after finding the net in Real Madrid’s 2–1 quarter-final first-leg defeat to Bayern Munich at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday.

Despite the loss, courtesy of strikes from Luis Díaz and Harry Kane, Mbappe’s goal was a personal milestone.

Having already netted 13 times in the league phase, the 27-year-old now sits on 14 for the season, according to Marca.

The other players to achieve this feat, apart from Messi and Ronaldo, are Jose Altafini, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema.

UCL: Mbappe joins Ronaldo, Messi, four others as only seventh player with 14 goals

Only three goalkeepers have recorded higher save percentages in a UEFA Champions League season on record than Arsenal’s David Raya in the competition’s history.

This comes after Raya’s impressive display for the Gunners against Sporting CP in the Champions League quarter-final first leg tie on Tuesday night.

Recall that the Spain international was superb as he recorded several saves for Mikel Arteta’s side against the Portuguese side in Lisbon.

His teammate Kai Havertz’s only goal of the encounter gave Arsenal a 1-0 win against Sporting.

However, according to Opta Analyst (via OptaJoe), only Jens Lehmann, Miguel Moya, and Eduardo Mendy has recorded higher save percentages in a Champions League campaign than Raya.

Lehmann saved every shot (100%) he faced in the 2005-06 campaign for Arsenal, while Miguel Moya saved 94.1% of shot he faced in the 2014-15 season for Atletico Madrid.

Eduardo Mendy saved 91.2% of shot he faced in the 2020-21 campaign for Chelsea, while Raya saved 90% of shot he faced for Arsenal in the ongoing Champions League campaign.

UCL: Only three goalkeepers recorded higher save percentages than Arsenal’s David Raya in history

Former Nigeria captain and coach Sunday Oliseh has praised the offensive capabilities of Super Eagles forwards Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, and Akor Adams.

Since the commencement of the 2025–2026 season, Osimhen, Lookman, and Adams have collectively netted 51 goals for their respective clubs and the national team—28 for Galatasaray’s Osimhen, 12 for Sevilla’s Adams, and 11 for Atletico Madrid’s Lookman.

While the attacking talent of Nigeria has been evident on the field, their recent performances unveil a troubling reality.

The Super Eagles’ remarkable journey in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations conceals the disappointment of failing to qualify for consecutive World Cups, despite possessing world-class strikers.

Although Oliseh commended Nigeria’s attacking trio, he emphasized that the Super Eagles still encounter considerable obstacles as they approach the 2030 World Cup qualifiers.

In a discussion on Global Football Insights With Oliseh, the two-time World Cup participant remarked, “Let us examine the facts. We currently have world-class dominance from Victor Osimhen, Akor Adams, and Ademola Lookman.

“It is a pleasure to witness these players in action. They are effectively dismantling European defenses. They serve as our driving force at present, but even the finest fuel is ineffective if the engine is malfunctioning.”

Oliseh cautioned that many members of Nigeria’s current squad may not be available for the next World Cup and urged the Nigeria Football Federation to begin preparations for the future.

‘It’s joy to watch them perform” – Sunday Oliseh hails three Super Eagles stars

The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, has confirmed that goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo is set to make his debut for the Super Eagles at the forthcoming Unity Cup tournament, which is scheduled for next month.

Okonkwo has recently finalized his change of international allegiance from England to Nigeria after having represented England at various youth levels.

Having played for England at U16, U17, and U18 levels, the former Arsenal goalkeeper received Fifa approval on Monday to compete for Nigeria at the senior level.

An official from the NFF, who spoke to ESPN, indicated that Okonkwo showed considerable enthusiasm regarding his switch, which facilitated the process for the federation.

The official also mentioned that Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle is eager to include the goalkeeper in his plans leading up to the tournament.

“He was very enthusiastic about switching allegiance and playing for Nigeria, and that made things easier for us,” the official stated.

“The coach, Eric Chelle, wants him and would like to have him in the squad as soon as possible.”

Okonkwo’s remarkable performances this season have further bolstered his case for a national team call-up.

The 24-year-old has made 42 appearances across all competitions and achieved 10 clean sheets in 37 Championship matches, positioning him among the top-performing goalkeepers in the league.

The Super Eagles are anticipated to commence their Unity Cup campaign against Zimbabwe on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at The Valley, the home ground of Charlton Athletic in England.

Nigeria, the reigning champions of the tournament, secured victory in the previous edition by defeating Jamaica on penalties after a 2-2 draw in regular time.

NFF confirms England-born goalkeeper, Okonkwo now set for Nigeria call-up

Paris Saint-Germain manager, Luis Enrique, has released his squad to clash with Liverpool in the Champions League quarter-final first leg fixture on Wednesday night.

The Champions League encounter will be played at the Parc des Princes in Paris.

Enrique opted to include the likes of Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to lead his attack line against the Premier League giants.

The Spaniard also includes Achraf Hakimi and Marquinhos to lead the defense, while Vitinha and Lucas Beraldo lead the midfield.

PSG head to the game after beating Toulouse 3-1 in their last game at the weekend.

PSG’s squad against Liverpool in full:

2 – Achraf Hakimi
4 – Lucas Beraldo
5 – Marquinhos
6 – Illia Zabarnyi
7 – Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
9 – Gonçalo Ramos
10 – Ousmane Dembélé
14 – Désiré Doué
17 – Vitinha
19 – Kang-In Lee
21 – Lucas Hernandez
24 – Senny Mayulu
25 – Nuno Mendes
27 – Dro Fernández
30 – Lucas Chevalier
33 – Warren Zaïre-Emery
39 – Matvey Safonov
49 – Ibrahim Mbaye
51 – Willian Pacho
87 – João Neves
89 – Renato Marin

UCL: Luis Enrique releases PSG’s squad against Liverpool

Nigerian youngster Zadok Yohanna is attracting the interest of Europe’s top clubs like Chelsea and Ajax Amsterdam.

Zadok moved to Swedish club, AIK in June 2025, signing a contract until December 31, 2029.

The youngster turned heads following his goal and standout display in AIK’s 2-1 win over Halmstads BK on Sunday.

Zadok scored in the 83rd minute of the encounter.

AIK will reportedly demand around €15m for the former Ikon Allah Academy star.

More European clubs are expected to join the queue for the exciting talent.

Transfer: Chelsea, Ajax track Nigerian youngster Zadok

Liverpool icon, Jamie Carragher, has cast doubt on the Gunners’ chances of winning the Premier League after their narrow 1-0 win against Sporting CP in the Champions League quarter-final first leg tie on Tuesday.

Recall that Kai Havertz’s stoppage-time strike gave Mikel Arteta’s side a first leg advantage against the Portuguese side.

However, while acknowledging the importance of the result, particularly after two prior defeats, Carragher wasn’t impressed with the performance itself.

Speaking on CBS Sports, he said: “It was a big result for Arsenal but it wasn’t a great performance.

“The real question is: if they play like that for the rest of the season, will they win the league? We’ll see.”

UCL: Carragher casts doubt on Arsenal winning EPL title after display against Sporting