Sports

AFCON 2023: Super Eagles Wallop Al Gharbia FC 12-0 In Warm-up Match

Published

9 months ago

January 8, 2024

The Super Eagles walloped Al Gharbia FC, a local team based in Dubai 12-0 in a training match in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Ademola Lookman scored four goals, while Victor Osimhen and Moses Simon grabbed a brace each.

Also, Sadiq Umar and Ahmed Musa weighed in with a goal each, while there were also two own goals to complete the dozen-goal rout.

Calvin Bassey as well as substitutes Alex Iwobi and Bright Osayi-Samuel all gave a good account of themselves as an aggressive Super Eagles team laid siege on their opponent’s defence line in a one-sided encounter.

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The team, Al Gharbia, plays in the third division and paraded a Nigerian midfielder.

A post on the team’s official X account noted that it was indeed a comfortable win for the Eagles, adding that coach Jose Peseiro must be pleased his team is firing from all angles.

It noted, however, that the bigger test for the Eagles will come on Monday when they face another AFCON-bound team Guinea in a final warm-up game before they jet out to Lagos.

“Osimhen’s overall play showed that he is in fine shape to justify his coronation as the best player in Africa at the AFCON.

“Fulham defender Bassey was calm and collected in the heart of the back after he started the test match alongside Portugal-based Chidozie Awaziem.

“Both Iwobi and Osayi Samuel did not start the game, but they impressed when they were introduced to the fray.

“Late replacement for injured Wilfred Ndidi, Alhassan Yusuf also saw action as he played the last 15 minutes of today’s match, which was played behind closed doors at the Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi,” the statement read.

It added that the NPFL lone representative Olorunleke Ojo will “later replace Francis Uzoho, who started in goal.

“Enyimba shot stopper Ojo kept out a penalty to ensure a clean sheet for the team.

“Coach Jose Peseiro made many changes in the game as he tried to have a closer look at all options available before the team’s opening AFCON game next Sunday against Equatorial Guinea.”

It added that Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface and South Africa-based goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali did not see action as they were probably rested ahead of the Guinea clash.

The 34th edition of the AFCON is expected to kick off on January 13 and end on February 11.

NAN

Sports

Top 10 Coaches With Most Trophies In Football

Published

5 days ago

September 14, 2024

Editor

A team’s success in terms of winning a trophy does not hinge on the players alone; there’s also a coaching factor. Football coaches determine what tactics and formations a team will play and also what players can perfectly play them.

In light of the foregoing, some coaches have enjoyed significant club successes. They have thus amassed a plethora of trophies, thus making them rank as successful gaffers, as it is the biggest measure of good coaches.

Let’s take a look at them.

10. Giovanni Trapattoni – 23 titles

Top 10 coaches with most trophies in football
The Italian managed Juventus under separate stints but won every trophy possible, except the Super Italia Cup. With 23 titles to his name, Trapattoni’s trophy successes included six Serie A titles, the European Cup, the UEFA Cup, and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.

9. Ottmar Hitzfeld – 25 titles

Top 10 coaches with most trophies in football
Hitzfield was coach at clubs such as Bayern and Borussia Dortmund, where he enjoyed most of his managerial successes, despite starring for a while in Switzerland. The German won seven (7) Bundesliga titles and two (2) UEFA Champions Leagues with both Bayern Munchen and Borussia Dortmund.

8. Jock Stein – 26 titles

Top 10 coaches with most trophies in football
Jock Stein passed away in 1985, but as a fulfilled coach and manager in the history of football. The Scottish man won all titles available for Celtic within 13 years.

7. Luiz Felipe Scolari – 26 titles

Scolari’s successes happened during his stints at clubs like Palmeira, Gremio, ,and the Brazil national team. The Brazilian has a total of 26 trophies, which include a World Cup triumph with Brazil in

The 70-year-old is currently coaching Athletico Mineiro after coming out of retirement.

6. Jose Mourinho – 26 titles

Top 10 coaches with most trophies in football
The Special One, as he called him, Jose Mourinho’s name on this list is no surprise. He has enjoyed successful spells at Porto, Chelsea, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Inter Milan, and recently at Roma, where he won the maiden UEFA Conference League, making him the only coach to have won all European cups. Jose Mourinho currently manages Turkish side Fenerbahce.

5. Carlo Ancelotti – 28 trophies

Only a few modern coaches can boast of the profile of Ancelotti in terms of the number of trophies he has won. The Italian has a big record—he is the only coach to have won a league title or more in Europe’s top five leagues. He has also won European Championships, including a record 5 Champions League titles.

4. Valeriy Lobanovskyi – 29 titles

Top 10 coaches with most trophies in football
The Ukrainian talisman managed Dynamo Kyiv and won the league title thirteen (13) times. He orchestrated a lot of tactical innovation during his stint there, including the ‘Total Football’, and made Kiev one of the best teams on the continent where they always reached the last eight (8) or further.

3. Mircea Lucescu – 32 titles

Top 10 coaches with most trophies in football
Lucescu currently coaches Dynamo Kiev in Ukraine. He was coach for clubs like Shakhtar Donetsk, Galatasaray, Besiktas, Zenit St. Petersburg, and even Brescia, which he guided to a Serie B title in 1991/1992. He has also enjoyed significant successes in continental competitions, including a 2000 Super Cup trophy, which was wrestled from Real Madrid.

2. Pep Guardiola – 40 trophies

Top 10 coaches with most trophies in football
Who else but Pep Guardiola in the second position? The Spaniard has won 40 trophies, which included three UEFA Champions League and numerous league titles across Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City, where he transformed the team into a trophy-possessed entity.

Last season, Guardiola’s Manchester City won a record four consecutive league titles, surpassing Alex Ferguson’s three between 1998/99, 1999/00, and 2000/01.

1. Alex Ferguson

Top 10 coaches with most trophies in football
Alex Ferguson is a legend of the job. He is also a leading figure who every coach looks up to. The Scottish manager was in charge of Manchester United for 27 years, winning 37 titles, including 13 Premier League titles and two UEFA Champions League trophies.

Before this stint, Ferguson had won five Scottish league titles with Aberdeen.

VANGUARD

Sports

Mikel Arteta Agrees New Arsenal Deal

Published

1 week ago

September 12, 2024

Tari Ayesinghan

Mikel Arteta has agreed to commit his long-term future to Arsenal and is about to sign a new contract that runs until 2027.

Arteta’s previous deal was set to expire at the end of the current season but the Gunners have secured the Spaniard’s future until 2027.

Since taking over at Arsenal during a turbulent period, Arteta has overseen an impressive transformation.

Over the last two seasons, the north London club has consistently challenged Manchester City for the Premier League title, falling short both times, but earning widespread recognition for their progress.

Arteta, who previously served as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Man City and played a key role in their success, is now aiming to guide Arsenal to their first league title in over two decades, hoping to outpace his former mentor.

The 42-year-old manager brought immediate success to Arsenal by winning the FA Cup in his debut season, but he is still chasing more silverware. With a young, dynamic squad now in place, Arteta’s team is poised to be a serious contender for major trophies in the coming years.